THE 


PRISONER  OF  WAR, 


AND 


HOW    TREATED. 


CONTAINING  A  HISTORY  OF  COLONEL  STREIGHT'S   EXPEDITION   TO  THE 
REAR   OF   BRAGG'S   ARMY,  IN    THE  SPRING   OF  1863,  AND  A  CORRECT 
ACCOUNT   OF    THE   TREATMENT  AND    CONDITION   OF    THE  UNION 
PRISONERS  OF  WAR   IN  THE   REBEL    PRISONS  OF  THE  SOUTH, 
IN  ^8f,3-4.     BEING  THE  ACTUAL    EXPERIENCE    OF  A  UNION 
OFFICER    DURING    TWENTY -TWO    MONTHS'    IMPRISON 
MENT    IN    REBELDOM.      WITH     PERSONAL    ADVEN 
TURES,     BIOGRAPHICAL     SKETCHES,     AND    HIS 
TORY     QF     ANDERSONVII/LE   '.  PfclSON     PEN. 


BY  LIEUTENANT  A.  C.  I^OACH,  A.  A.  D.  C. 


PUBLISHED   BY 

THE  RAILROAD  CITY  PUBLISHING  HOUSE, 

A.  D.   STRE1GHT,  PROPRIETOR. 

North-East  Corner  Washington  and  Meridian  Streets,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 
18G5. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
sixty-five, 

BY  A.  D.  STREIGHT, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the  District  of 
Indiana. 


Hall  &  Hutch  inson,  Stereotypers. 


PREFACE, 


The  preparation  of  this  work  was  first  contem 
plated,  and  partly  executed,  while  I  was  confined  in 
the  rebel  prisons  of  the  South  ;  and  with  the  intention 
of  publishing  it  immediately  after  my  release  or  escape 
from  captivity.  But  the  sudden  collapse  of  the  mili 
tary  power  of  the  people  arrayed  in  armed  rebellion 
against  the  Government,  following  soon  thereafter,  at 
first  determined  me  to  forego  the  publication  of  a 
work,  which  I  conceived  might  possibly  tend  to  keep 
alive  the  embers  of  discord  between  us  and  our  South 
ern  foes,  and  as  far  as  in  me  lie,  consign  to  oblivion 
the  memory  of  their  wicked  deeds,  and  forget  the  suf- 
erings  and  wrongs  of  myself  and  fellow  captives. 

Subsequent  events,  however,  have  shown  that  our 
late  enemies  are  not  possessed  of  the  same  spirit  of 
kindly  feeling  and  friendship  that  we  have  extended  to 
them.  Moreover,  that  the  leaders  among  them  have, 
under  the  dissembling  guise  of  repentance,  sought  the 
pardon  and  confidence  of  the  nation — which,  by  force 
of  arms,  in  four  years  of  bloody  war,  they  failed  to  dis 
member — that  they  might,  with  the  wily  arts  of  the 
politician,  accomplish  its  destruction. 

Believing  that  subserviency  to  the  demands  of  those 
lately  leading  the  armed  hosts  arrayed  against  us,  by 


4  PREFACE. 

the  slave  Oligarchy,  and  the  wholesale  and  indiscrim 
inate  pardon  extended  them  by  our  Chief  Magistrate, 
will,  at  no  distant  day,  render  fruitless  the  glorious 
work  accomplished  by  our  noble  armies,  and  vain  the 
gallant  deeds  and  heroic  sufferings  of  the  brave  men 
of  whom  they  were  composed,  I  send  forth  to  the  pub 
lic  this  volume;  which,  without  pretensions  to  literary 
merit,  breathes  the  dying  moans  and  starving  wails  of 
twenty  thousand  Union  soldiers,  whose  shroudless  and 
uncoffined  bodies  moulder  beneath  the  sod,  adjacent  to 
the  rebel  prisons  in  which  they  were  tortured  to  death, 
trusting  that  whatever  influence  it  may  exercise  will 
aid  in  bringing  the  guilty  leaders  of  treason  to  just 
punishment,  for  their  enormous  crimes  against  hu 
manity. 

Without  any  aspirations  whatever,  to  literary  noto 
riety,  I  have  endeavored  to  give  a  plain,  unvarnished 
narrative  of  facts  and  incidents  of  prison  life,  as  they 
occurred,  under  my  own  observation,  during  twenty- 
two  months  in  various  rebel  prisons.  I  have  added, 
also,  the  statements  of  several  other  Union  prisoners, 
who  stand  ready  to  vouch  for  the  same  with  their 
affidavits. 

In  this  recital  of  the  terrible  woe  of  our  soldiers  who 
were  prisoners  of  war,  I  do  not  wish  it  to  be  under 
stood  that  I  charge  the  mass  of  the  Southern  people 
with  complicity  in  the  inhuman  treatment  they  re 
ceived.  Jeff.  Davis,  Robert  E.  Lee,  and  other  rebels 
high  in  authority,  and  the  monsters  whom  they  placed 
in  immediate  command  of  the  prisoners,  are  alone  re 
sponsible,  and  on  their  heads  let  just  and  condign  pun 
ishment  fall. 

A.  C.  E. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 


COLONEL    STREIGHT  S   EXPEDITION. 

Introductory  Remarks  —  Organization  of  Streight's  Expedition  — 
Departure  from  Nashville — Palmyra,  Tennessee — Experience 
with  Mules — Foraging  Parties — Tuscumbia — Eastport — Disas 
trous  Affair — Loyal  Citizens — Battle  of  Day's  Gap — Rebel  Bar 
barities — Battle  of  Crooked  Creek — Capture  of  Doctor  King — 
Ambushing  the  Enemy PAGE  9-29. 

CHAPTER  II. 

STREIGHT'S  EXPEDITION  CONTINUED. 

Burning  Black  Creek  Bridge — A  Rebel  Heroine — Battle  of  Blunt's 
Farm — Death  of  Colonel  Hathaway  —  Prospects  of  Success — 
Lose  the  Route — Captain  Russell's  Party — Surrender  to  Gen 
eral  Forrest ..PAGE  30-42. 

CHAPTER  IIL 

IMPRISONMENT. 

Rome,  Georgia — Arrival  at  Libby  Prison — Description  of  The  Libby 
—  Union  Ladies  Insulted — Fourth  of  July  in  Libby — Stars  and 
Stripes  in  Prison — Their  Capture PAGE  43-50. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

LIFE    IN    PRISON. 

Increasing  Barbarities — Colonel  Streight's  Letter  to  the  Rebel  Sec 
retary  of  War— Perfidy  of  Union  Officers — Lieutenant  Colonel 

(5) 


t?  CONTENTS. 

Sanderson's  Communications  to  the  Rebel  Commissary — Indig 
nation  of  the  Prisoners — Starved  to  Death — Escape  of  a  Dead 
Yankee PAGE  51-60. 

CHAPTER  Y. 

BELLE    ISLE. 

Prisoners  Compelled  to  Eat  Dog  Flesh — The  Chickamauga  Prison 
ers — Rebel  Hospitals — The  Richmond  Examiner — It  Counsels 
Murder — Treatment  of  Rebel  Prisoners  in  the  North. 

PAGE  61-69. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

WINTER   IN   LIBBY. 

Terrible  Suffering — Inside  View  of  Libby — Prisoners  Cooking  Their 
Rations — Amusements — Prisoners'  Letters — Fresh  Fish — Ex 
change — Night  in  Libby  -  - PAGE  70-80. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

ESCAPE  OF  ANDERSON  AND  SKELTON. 

Preparation  for  the  Escape — Discovered  by  the  Guard — Second  At 
tempt — Final  Exit  from  Richmond — Friendliness  of  the  Slaves 
—  Union  Soldiers — Liberty  and  the  Old  Flag — The  Council  of 
Five — First  Escape  of  Colonel  Streight — His  Letter  to  General 
Meredith — General  Morgan's  Visit  to  Libby  -  -  PAGE  81-97. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE   LIBBY   TUNNEL. 

The  Negroes  in  Libby — One  Hundred  and  Nine  Officers  Escape — 
Colonel  Streight  Gets  Fast  in  the  Tunnel — Names  of  the  Prin 
cipal  Officers  who  Escaped — Colonel  Streight  Secreted  by  a 
Loyal  Woman  Several  Days  in  Richmond — Detectives  Search 
ing  for  Him — Perilous  Adventures  of  the  Escaped  Prisoners — 
Safe  Arrival  in  the  Union  Lines PAGE  97-118. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

KILPATRICK'S  EXPEDITION. 
Attempt  to  Release  the  Prisoners — Death  of  Colonel  Dahlgren— 


CONTENTS. 


Horrible  Mutilation  of  His  Body—Plot  to  Blow  Up  the  Prison 
—  Removal  from  Libby—Macon—  Captain  Tabb—  A  Union  Of 
ficer  Murdered  ...........  -P^GE  119-132. 


CHAPTER  X. 

GENERAL    STONEMAN's   RAID. 

Stoneman's  Cavalry  Approach  Macon  —  The  Fight  and  Repulse  — 
Capture  of  Stoneman  and  His  Command  —  Removal  from  Macoa 

—  Charleston—  Its   Desolation—  The  Work-House  —  Jail—  Bom 
bardment  of  the  City  —  Removal  to  Columbia  —  Camp  Sorghum. 

PAGE  133-144. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

ESCAPE  OF  CAPTAIN  RUSSELL. 

First  Attempt  —  Liberty  or  Death  —  Accidental  Meeting  with  a  Friend 

—  Long  Fasting  and  Extreme  Fatigue  —  He  Makes  a  Foray  on  a 
Flock  of  Sheep  —  Recaptured  —  Lexington  Jail  —  Second  Attempt 

—  Receive  Aid  from  the  Negroes  —  Narrow  Escape  from  Drown 
ing  —  Raw  Corn  His  Only  Subsistence  —  Arrival  Inside  of  Sher 
man's  Lines  —  Secretary  Stanton    .....    PAGE  145-170. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

PRISON    LIFE   AT   COLUMBIA. 

Removal  from  Camp  Sorghum  —  Asylum  Prison  —  Chandler's  String 
Band—  Sherman's  March  to  the  Sea  —  Fall  of  Savannah  and  the 
Encouragement  it  Gave  the  Prisoners  —  Preparations  for  Escape 

—  Removal  from  Columbia    .......    PAGE  171-177. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

ESCAPE   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

Out  of  the  Jaws  of  Death  —  Recapture  of  Lieutenant  Pool  —  Ash- 
Cake  for  General  Sherman  —  Captain  Aigan  Left  Exhausted  on 
the  Road  —  The  Slave  '  Math'  —  Union  Family  Near  Columbia, 
South  Carolina  —  Their  Kindness  to  Escaped  Prisoners. 

PAGE  178-193. 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE   OLD   FLAG   AND    LIBERTY. 

Math  Proposes  to  Steal  His  Master's  Mules — Devastation  by  Sher 
man's  Army,  of  South  Carolina — Concealment  at  the  House  of 
Mr.  Carman — The  Two  Misses  Carman — Change  of  Base — 
Luckless  Adventure  of  Captain  Aigan — Safe  with  the  Union 
Army— Lieutenant  Colonel  Morrow  and  Captain  Rosser — The 
Ninety-Second  Ohio  Volunteers — Sherman's  Bummers — Bum 
mer-' s  Report — Arrival  at  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina. 

PAGE  94-207. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

ANDERSON  VILLE   PRISONERS. 

Horrible  Sights  in  the  Streets  of  Charleston — Our  Returned  Pris 
oners  at  Wilmington — Report  of  Doctor  J.  C.  Dalton — General 
"Winder  and  Captain  Wertz — Statement  of  an  Andersonville 
Prisoner -*,-  -  PAGE  207-216. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

ANDERSONVILLE   CONTINUED. 

Eight  Months  in  the  Pen — Statement  of  H.  M.  Roach— Three  Days 
Without  Food  of  Any  Kind — Trading  Dead  Men  for  Wood — 
Letter  from  Miss  Clara  Barton — Two  Hundred  and  Sixty-seven 
Prisoners  Wantonly  Murdered — Letter  from  a  Georgia  Planter. 

PAGE  217-230. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

PERSONAL    SKETCHES. 

Major  Harry  White — Captain  Driscoll  and  Lieutenant  Pavey — 
Lieutenant  Von  Braiday  —  Captains  Flinn  and  Sawyer — Lieu 
tenant  Edwin  Read— Major  B.  C.  G.  Reed  -  PAGE  231-245. 


CHAPTER  I. 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 

When  new  arrivals  of  unfortunate  prisoners  were 
ushered  into  the  gloomy  precincts  of  the  various  rebel 
prisons  of  the  South,  by  the  brutal  and  inhuman  of 
ficials  in  charge,  they  were  almost  invariably  addressed 
by  the  old  inhabitants  with  the  simple  but  important 
interrogatory,  "  Where .were  you  captured?" 

Consequently,  knowing  the  propensity  of  my  old 
comrades  and  fellow  prisoners  to  learn  where  and  how 
each  individual  prisoner  was  "gobbled,"  I  shall,  in  the 
first  place,  although  it  does  not  properly  belong  to  the 
original  design  of  our  history  of  prison  life,  give  a 
sketch  of  Colonel  Straight' s  expedition  to  Georgia  in 
the  spring  of  1863,  when,  it  will  be  recollected,  his  en 
tire  command,  consisting  of  about  twelve  hundred  men 
and  one  hundred  officers,  were  made  prisoners  of  war, 
and  charged  with  such  heinous  crimes  by  the  then  ex 
ultant,  and  seemingly  triumphant  and  successful  rebels, 
that  their  authorities  refused  to  exchange  us,  on  any 
terms  whatever.  This  action  of  the  rebel  officials  at 
once  put  a  stop  to  the  workings  of  the  cartel  arranged 
some  months  previous,  for  the  immediate  exchange  of 
all  prisoners  of  war,  as  soon  as  practicable  after  their 
capture.  This,  then,  being  the  beginning  of  that  pre- 

(9) 


OP   WAR. 


meditated  and  systematic  plan  of  inhuman  treatment, 
starvation  and  murder,  practiced  by  the  rebel  authori 
ties  during  the  last  two  years  of  the  war,  on  Union  sol 
diers  who  fell  into  their  hands,  I  trust  is  sufficient  apol 
ogy  for  introducing  it  into  this  work. 

ORGANIZATION   OP   STREIGHT'S   EXPEDITION. 

The  spring  of  1863  opened  with  the  prospect  of  be 
ing  a  season  of  inactivity  for  the  Army  of  the  Cum 
berland.  The  rebel  General  Bragg,  with  a  large  and 
well  equipped  army,  occupied  near  Tullahoma,  Tennes 
see,  a  strong  natural  position,  improved  by  all  the  inge 
nuity  known  to  military  science,  until  it  was  almost 
impregnable.  Consequently  it  was  not  in  the  pro 
gramme  of  the  cautious  and  sagacious  Rosecrans,  then 
commanding  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  to  make  an 
advance  movement  until  his  command  was  in  a  condi 
tion  of  health,  numbers  and  equipments,  that  certain 
and  decisive  victory  would  be  inevitable.  These  im 
portant  military  items  it  was  not  expected  could  be 
brought  about  before,  perhaps,  the  middle  of  the  ap 
proaching  summer. 

To  the  mind  of  Colonel  A.  D.  Streight,  of  the  Fifty- 
First  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  this  term  of  inaction 
was  a  period  of  ennui,  and  afforded  the  enemy  in  his 
stronghold  at  Tullahoma  a  rest  and  feeling  of  security, 
that  his  active  and  restless  spirit  could  not  contemplate. 
He  therefore  made  application  to  the  commanding  Gen 
eral  for  an  independent  mounted  brigade,  a  command  of 
this  description  necessarily  affording  an  opportunity  for 
constant  and  active  service;  and  would,  if  directed  in 
the  proper  manner,  draw  from  the  banks  of  the  Cum 
berland  and  Ohio  the  guerrilla  bands  of  Forrest,  Mor- 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  11 

gan  and  other  noted  chieftains  in  the  rebel  service,  and 
give  them  employment  in  their  own  boasted  land  of 
"  Dixie." 

This  enterprise  of  Colonel  S.  was  favorably  received 
by  General  Rosecrans,  and  the  following  named  troops 
accordingly  placed  under  his  command  and  designated 
as  the  INDEPENDENT  PROVISIONAL  BRIGADE,  designed  for 
special  secret  service:  His  own  regiment,  (the  Fifty- 
First  Indiana;)  Third  Ohio,  Colonel  0.  A.  Lawson; 
Seventy-Third  Indiana,  Colonel  Gilbert  Hathaway; 
and  Eightieth  Illinois,  Lieutenant  Colonel  A.  F.  Rod- 
gers  commanding;  also  companies  D  and  E  of  the  First 
Middle  Tennessee  cavalry,  commanded  by  Captain  D. 
D.  Smith.  Active  preparations  were  at  once  com 
menced  for  an  expedition  to  Alabama  and  Georgia,  for 
the  purpose  of  destroying  the  vast  supplies  of  the 
rebels  and  the  railroad  communication  in  the  interior 
of  those  States. 

On  arriving  at  the  city  of  Nashville,  where  Colonel 
Straight  was  ordered  to  n't  out  his  command,  prepara 
tory  to  starting  on  the  expedition,  he  organized  the  fol 
lowing  staff,  to-wit:  Captain  D.  L.  Wright,  Fifty-First 
Indiana  Volunteers,  to  be  A.  A.  A.  G. ;  Major  W.  L. 
Peck,  Third  Ohio,  to  be  Brigade  Surgeon;  Lieutenant 
J.  G.  Doughty,  Regimental  Quartermaster  Fifty-First 
Indiana  Volunteers,  to  be  A.  A.  Q.  M.;  Captain  E.  M. 
Driscoll,  Third  Ohio  Volunteers,  to  be  A.  A.  I.  G.; 
Lieutenant  C.  W.  Pavey,  Eightieth  Illinois  Volunteers, 
to  be  Brigade  Ordnance  Officer;  and  Lieutenant  A.  0. 
Roach,  Fifty-First  Indiana  Volunteers,  to  be  A.  D.  C. 

Operations  now  commenced  in  earnest,  Colonel 
Streight  and  the  officers  of  his  staff  working  day  and 
night  to  supply  the  command  with  the  necessar}7  cloth 
ing,  ordnance  and  equipments  for  the  expedition;  and 


12  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

at  the  end  of  the  third  day,  with  the  exception  of  the  re 
quisite  number  of  animals  to  mount  the  command,  the 
"Provisional  Brigade"  was  thoroughly  organized  and 
equiped,  officers  and  men  ready  and  anxious  for  any 
duty  they  might  be  called  upon  to  perform. 

DEPARTURE  FROM  NASHVILLE. 

On  the  afternoon  of  April  tenth  Colonel  Streight  re 
ceived  orders  from  General  Garfield,  Chief  of  Staff,  to 
embark  at  once,  on  steamers  then  at  the  landing,  and 
proceed  down  the  river  to  Palmyra;  everything  was 
speedily  put  on  board  and  got  in  readiness  for  starting; 
and  on  the  morning  of  the  llth,  from  the  decks  of  the 
transports  chartered  for  our  expedition,  as  they  sped 
irresistibly  along  before  the  mighty  force  of  the  river's 
current  and  power  of  the  steam  engine,  we  took  a  fare 
well  view  of  the  Capital  of  "Old  Tennessee,"  and  soon 
the  church  spires  and  cupolas,  reflecting  the  beams  of 
the  morning  sun,  were  lost  to  the  e}Te,  and  the  rugged 
banks  of  the  Cumberland,  and  the  spiral  columns  of 
white  steam  ascending  from  the  exhaust  pipes  of  the 
numerous  boats  composing  our  fleet,  and  forming  be 
hind  us,  over  vale  and  hill,  a  milky  track  of  the  cir 
cuitous  course  of  the  Cumberland,  were  the  only  ob 
jects  to  divert  the  mind  or  attract  the  attention,  until 
we  arrived  at  the  place  which,  in  the  palmy  days  of 
peace,  was  pointed  out  to  the  traveler  on  the  now  clas 
sic  waters  of  the  Cumberland,  as  the  village  of  Pal 
myra,  but  now  only  a  heap  of  black  and  charred  ruins; 
presenting  one  of  the  many  scenes  of  devastation  that 
will  tell,  for  years  to  come,  that  our  country  was  once 
convulsed  with  one  of  the  most  unnatural  and  gigantic 
wars  of  any  age — a  war  inaugurated  by  a  people  whose 


AND    HOW   TREATED.  13 

sole  aim  and  object  was  to  rear  an  autocratic  govern 
ment  on  the  ruins  of  constitutional  liberty  and  human 
freedom. 

LANDING   AT    PALMYRA. 

At  this  place  our  command  disembarked  and  bivou 
acked  for  the  night.  Early  the  next  morning  a  detail  of 
four  companies  was  placed  under  command  of  Colonel 
Lawson,  of  the  Third  Ohio  Volunteers,  to  accompany 
our  transports,  (eight  in  number,)  via  Smithland  and 
Paducah  to  Fort  Henry,  on  the  Tennessee  river,  where 
our  command  was  to  re-embark. 

We  remained  at  Palmyra  one  day  and  a  half,  during 
which  time  every  member  of  the  command  was  act 
ively  employed — those  to  whom  the  animals  were  issued 
that  were  furnished  us  at  Nashville,  u  breaking  their 
mules,"  the  remainder  scouring  the  country  through  in 
every  direction,  in  quest  of  animals  to  put  through  the 
same  interesting  ceremony,  during  the  performance  of 
which  the  long-eared  and  stubborn  quadruped  before 
mentioned  would  tax  his  ingenuity  and  muscular  power 
to  the  utmost,  to  divest  himself  of  his  unwelcome  rider. 
And  as  our  boys  were  "foot  soldiers,"  they  were  at  first 
ver}T  easily  dismounted,  frequently  in  a  most  undigni 
fied  and  unceremonious  manner.  One  witnessing  the 
perf6rmance,  and  not  knowing  the  boys  were  "break 
ing  mules,"  would  have  naturally  supposed  they  be 
longed  to  Dan.  Rice's,  or  Van  Amburgh's  circus,  and 
were  a  company  of  trained  summersaulters  and  tum 
blers,  exercising  in  their  profession  for  amusement; 
though  could  they  have  been  close  enough  to  see  the 
numerous  bruised  heads  and  sprained  limbs,  the  illusion 
would  have  been  soon  dispelled.  But  both  of  these,  or 


14 

even  worse  injuries,  the  boys  regarded  as  of  bat  trivial 
consequence;  and  now  that  so  admirable  an  opportu 
nity  for  riding  presented  itself,  they  were  determined 
to  ride  at  all  hazards.  It  was  here  that  Colonel  Streight 
first  discovered  the  quality  of  the  animals  drawn  by 
Quartermaster  Doughty,  at  Nashville.  In  his  report  to 
Major  General  Thomas,  he  speaks  concerning  them  as 
follows: 

"The  mules  issued  to  me  at  Nashville  were  nothing 
but  poor,  wild,  unbroken  colts,  many  of  them  but  two 
years  old;  a  large  number  of  them  had  the  horse  dis 
temper;  some  forty  or  fifty  of  the  lot  were  too  near 
dead  to  travel,  and  had  to  be  left  at  the  landing,  and 
some  ten  or  twelve  died  before  we  started."  Those 
that  were  able  to  travel  at  all  were  so  wild  and  unman 
ageable  that  it  took  nearly  two  days  to  catch  and  break 
;  them;  even  then  a  man  saddling  one  was  in  imminent 
danger  of  his  life,  unless  he  kept  a  sharp  lookout  for 
the  heels  of  his  mule,  which  were  most  of  the  time 
performing  evolutions  in  the  air  something  after  the 
style  of  the  wild  Highland  Fling.  f 

LEAVE    PALMYRA. 

On  the  13th  our  command  left  Palmyra  and  marched 
about  fifteen  miles,  proceeding  by  a  circuitous  route  in 
a  south-western  direction,  camping  at  night  on  Yellow 
Creek,  fourteen  miles  from  Fort  Donelson.  This  was 
our  first  day's  march  as  mounted  infantry,  though  as 
yet  only  about  one-third  of  our  men  were  mounted; 
but  these  were  considered  by  the  boys  a  most  formida 
ble  body  of  cavalry:  and  they  no  doubt  imagined 
themselves,  mounted  on  their  suddenly  metamorphosed 
war  steeds,  (mules,)  successfully  charging  and  putting 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  15 

to  flight  massed  columns  of  the  enemy's  infantry,  rush 
ing  with  yells  and  n'xed  bayonets  to  the  conflict. 

Nature  had  donned  her  most  attractive  garb,  the 
warm  spring  sun  had  already  coaxed  the  early  wild 
flowers  to  peep  modestly  forth  and  adorn  flolds  and 
woods  with  their  bright  hues,  which  seemed  to  inspire 
every  soldier  with  hope  and  courage,  the  thought  of 
being  prisoners  in  the  hands  of  a  merciless  and  inhu 
man  enemy  within  a  month,  or  ever  for  that  matter, 
never  once  entering  their  minds;  but  the  fortunes  of 
war  are  of  all  things  the  most  variable. 

PRESSING   HORSES   AND    MULES. 

Early  the  next  morning  we  resumed  our  march,  and 
arrived  at  Fort  Henry  about  noon  on  the  15th;  we 
had  scoured  the  country  as  far  south  as  it  was  safe,  on 
the  account  of  the  proximity  of  a  large  force  of  the 
enemy  in  that  direction  under  Woodward. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  we  left  Nashville  with 
less  than  eight  hundred  animals,  not  quite  half  enough 
to  mount  our  command,  and  many  of  these  entirely 
useless  for  the  kind  of  service  required.  And  although 
about  one  hundred  of  our  mules  gave  out  and  had  to 
be  left  behind  on  our  march,  yet  when  we  reached  Fort 
Henry  our  animals  numbered  about  twelve  hundred; 
those  we  had  collected  in  the  country  were  mostly  in 
good  condition,  but  were  nearly  all  barefooted. 

It  may  be  asked  why  we  were  not  furnished  with  a 
sufficient  number  of  good  animals  before  leaving  Nash 
ville.  For  the  very  good  reason,  that  the  grand  object 
of  the  expedition  was  to  cripple  the  enemy  as  much  as 
possible;  and  one  very  effectual  way  of  doing  this,  was 
to  seize  the  animals  whose  labor  furnished  subsistence 


16  THE    PRISONER    OF    WAR, 

for  the  rebel  armies  and  roving  bands  of  guerillas, 
whose  dastardly  and  fiendish  deeds  have  cursed  the 
fairest  portions  of  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  other 
border  States.  General  Eosecrans  therefore  gave 
orders  to  Colonel  Streight  to  mount  his  command  in 
the  above  manner;  and  which  could  very  easily  have 
been  done,  had  there  been  one-third  as  much  stock  in 
the  country  as  we  expected  to  find;  and  had  there  been 
one-tenth  the  number  General  Morgan  found  in  the 
course  of  his  expedition  through  Indiana  and  Ohio,  we 
could  have  marched  to  the  coast  of  Florida  and  back 
in  safety,  but  on  the  contrary  the  line  of  our  expedi 
tion  afforded  but  a  very  few  animals,  and  those  of  an 
inferior  quality. 

Contrary  to  our  expectations,  our  transports  had  not 
yet  arrived  at  Fort  Henry,  and  did  not  reach  there 
until  the  evening  of  the  16th,  having  been  delayed  at 
Paducah,  Kentucky,  taking  on  rations  and  forage  for 
General  Dodge's  army  at  Corinth,  Mississippi.  The 
whole  of  that  night  officers  and  men  were  actively  en 
gaged  embarking  the  animals,  and  in  other  prepara 
tions  for  our  departure  from  Fort  Henry.  And  on  the 
morning  of  the  17th,  when  the  sun  came  out  bright 
and  beautiful  from  behind  the  hills  bordering  the 
waters  of  the  Tennessee,  his  beams  mingled  with  the 
spray  dashed  in  air  by  the  bows  of  our  vessels  as  they 
ploughed  impetuously  against  the  current  of  the  grand 
old  river.  After  a  voyage  of  three  days,  made  delight 
ful  and  pleasant  by  the  genial  smiles  of  a  Southern 
spring,  that  gave  a  garb  of  beauty  and  grandeur  to  the 
towering  hills  on  either  side,  and  a  border  of  green 
shrubbery  and  many  colored  flowers  to  the  meandering 
Tennessee,  we  arrived  at  East-port,  Mississippi,  at  that 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  17 

time,  in  consequence  of  low  water,  the  head  of  naviga 
tion  on  this  river. 

LAND  AT  EASTPORT. 

Eastport  is  a  steamboat  landing  in  the.  north-east 
corner  of  the  State  of  Mississippi,  and  eight  miles  from 
luka,  formerly  the  scene  of  one  of  our  gallant  Rosey's 
triumphs.  At  this  time  General  Dodge,  with  his 
Corinth  army,  was  in  camp  on  the  banks  of  Little  Bear 
Creek,  ten  miles  distant,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  our 
command,  he  having  received  orders  to  make  a  demon 
stration  up  the  Tennessee  river,  threatening  Tuscum- 
bia,  Florence,  and  other  points  in  the  valley,  for  the 
purpose  of  covering  the  movements  of  our  expedition. 
Soon  as  oar  command  had  disembarked,  and  directions 
had  been  given  for  camping  the  brigade  and  caring  for 
the  animals,  Colonel  Streight  started  for  General 
Dodge's  camp,  an  interview  with  that  officer  being  ne 
cessary  to  our  future  movements. 

DISASTROUS  AFFAIR. 

In  justice  to  all  parties  concerned,  it  would  be  well 
to  mention  here  a  circumstance  which  contributed 
much,  no  doubt,  to  the  failure  of  the  expedition.  While 
disembarking  and  picketing  our  animals,  a  stampede 
was  created  among  them,  when  nearly  three  hundred 
of  the  best  we  had  escaped.  "When  Colonel  Streigho 
returned  from  General  Dodge's  camp,  he  dispatched 
large  scouting  parties  in  every  direction  in  quest  of  the 
strayed  horses  and  mules,  but  only  a  small  portion  of 
the  number  escaped  were  recovered;  the  remainder 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
2 


18  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

The  loss  of  these  animals  was  a  heavy  blow  to  the 
command;  for  besides  detaining  us  nearly  two  days  at 
Easfport,  and  running  down  our  stock  in  searching  the 
country  to  recover  them,  it  caused  a  still  further  delay 
at  Tuscumbia,  to  supply  their  places.  Another  lot  of 
the  mules  drawn  at  Nashville  had  to  be  left  here,  on 
account  of  the  distemper  before  mentioned. 

ARRIVAL   AT,   AND   DEPARTURE   FROM    TUSCUMBIA. 

We  left  Eastport  on  the  afternoon  of  the  21st  of 
April,  and  reached  General  Dodge's  headquarters  the 
following  morning  at  8  o'clock.  We  then  proceeded 
in  rear  of  General  Dodge's  forces,  who  were  contin 
ually  skirmishing  with  the  enemy,  as  they  advanced, 
as  far  as  Tuscumbia,  Alabama,  scouring  the  country 
to  the  river  on  the  left,  and  to  the  mountains  on  our 
right,  and  collected  in  all  the  horses  and  mules  that 
could  be  found. 

We  arrived  at  Tuscumbia  about  five  o  clock  p.  M.,  on 
the  twenty-fourth  day  of  April.  Here  General  Dodge 
furnished  us  with  about  two  hundred  mules  and  six 
wagons,  the  latter  to  haul  our  ammunition  and  rations. 
We  now  had  all  but  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  our 
men  mounted,  though  some  of  them  very  indifferently. 

At  one  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  the  twenty-sixth, 
our  brigade  moved  quietly  out  of  camp  at  this  place, 
taking  a  south-east  course,  in  the  direction  of  Rome, 
Georgia.  General  Dodge,  at  the  same  time,  advanced 
with  his  forces  on  Courtland,  to  engage  the  enemy  un 
til  we  should  be  beyond  pursuit.  Had  he  followed  this 
programme,  which  was  in  fact  the  object  of  his  move 
ment  from  Corinth — as  Colonel  Straight  expected,  and 
as  he  assured  the  Colonel  he  would  do — nothing  could 


AND    HOW   TREATED.  19 

have  interfered  to  prevent  the  expedition  being  en 
tirely  successful  in  every  particular. 

The  first  night  after  leaving  Tuscumbia,  our  advance, 
consisting  of  all  our  mounted  force,  camped  in  the  vi 
cinity  of  Mount  Hope,  a  village  in  Lawrence  county, 
Alabama,  having  made  a  march  of  thirty-four  miles, 
over  mountainous  and  almost  impassable  roads.  Col. 
Streight  took  up  his  quarters  at  the  house  of  one  of  the 
most  wealthy  and  influential  citizens  of  the  place,  and 
withal  an  arrant  traitor;  though  his  daughter,  a  highly 
educated  and  accomplished  young  lady,  professed  to 
sympathise  with  us  and  our  cause,  and  did  everything 
in  her  power  for  our  comfort.  In  fact,  her  actions  went 
so  far  to  prove  her  professions  of  loyalty,  that  Colonel 
S.  ordered  the  Quartermaster  to  pay  her  for  a  beauti 
ful  riding  pony  taken  by  one  of  our  tired  and  sore-footed 
"boys" — it  being  General  Rosecrans'  orders  to  pay  all 
loyal  citizens  for  whatever  property  taken  for  the  bene 
fit  of  the  command. 

The  following  evening  we  entered  the  village  of 
Moulton,  the  county  seat  of  Lawrence  county,  Ala 
bama.  Our  advance,  consisting  of  Captain  Smith's 
two  companies  of  cavalry,  charged  into  the  town  about 
sunset,  putting  to  flight  and  capturing  part  of  a  com 
pany  of  Colonel  Roddy's  command. 

LOYAL   CITIZENS. 

In  the  county  jail,  at  the  above  place,  had  been  con 
fined  for  longer  or  shorter  periods,  and  at  different 
times,  those  citizens  of  the  county  who,  amid  the  stir- 
ing  and  exciting  scenes  of  a  gigantic  civil  war,  and  sur 
rounded  by  armed  traitors,  still  defended  the  old  flag, 
and  battled  manfully  for  the  glorious  principles  of  con- 


20  THE   PRISONER  OP   WAR, 

etitutional  liberty.  Many  of  these  patriotic  but  perse 
cuted  men  were,  previous  to  the  war,  friends  and  neigh 
bors  of  the  soldiers  of  Captain  Smith's  command,  who 
were  themselves  refugees  from  their  homes  and  fami 
lies,  having  nearly  a  year  previous  broken  the  thousand 
ties  that  bound  them  to  their  homes  and  firesides,  their 
wives  and  little  ones,  to  battle  even  unto  death  for  the 
holy  cause  of  liberty  and  human  freedom.  It  was, 
therefore,  with  difficulty  they  were  prevented  from 
razing  to  the  ground  the  building  within  whose  hated 
walls  and  filthy  cells  their  friends  and  relations  had 
been  confined  for  weeks  and  months,  and  for  no  other 
reason  than  that  they  remained  loyal  to  the  Union,  and 
maintained  against  all  opposition  an  undying  love  for 
the  glorious  principles  upon  which  the  liberties  of 
our  country  are  founded. 

We  remained  at  this  place  only  long  enough  for  the 
men  to  prepare  some  slight  refreshment  for  themselves 
and  feed  their  animals;  this  was  soon  accomplished, 
and  before  midnight  the  soldiers  of  the  Provisional 
Brigade  were  again  in  the  saddle  and  on  the  march. 

On  the  following  day  we  captured  a  number  of  wag 
ons,  containing  a  large  quantity  of  bacon,  guns  am 
munition,  &c.  Such  of  these  prizes  as  were  necessary 
for  the  complete  equipment  of  our  command,  were  is 
sued  to  the  men,  and  the  balance  destroyed.  We  also 
picked  up  during  the  day's  march  a  number  of  animals, 
which  were  indeed  very  much  needed,  as  those  drawn 
at  Nashville  were  failing  very  fast  from  excessive  fa 
tigue  ;  also  from  the  distemper,  before  referred  to.  In 
fact,  from  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  our  line  of  march 
was  literally  strewn  with  exhausted  horses  and  mules, 
many  of  them  dead  and  dying,  and  it  was  only  by  ex- 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  21 

traordinary  labor  and  exertion  that  their  places  were 
supplied  as  fast  as  they  gave  out. 

This  day's  march  brought  us  to  the  base  of  a  range 
of  hills,  known  as  the  Sand  Mountains.  Here  it  was 
determined  to  bivouac  for  the  night.  The  prospect  of 
a  few  hours  rest  and  sleep,  a  luxury  that  had  not  been 
enjoyed  by  any  of  us  for  some  time  previous,  gave  to 
our  weary  men  a  feeling  of  happiness  that  can  only  be 
realized  by  those  who  have  experienced  the  utter  ex 
haustion  of  excessive  fatigue  and  long  wakeful  ness. 
Up  to  this  time  we  had  made  slow  progress  in  the  di 
rection  of  the  grand  object  of  the  expedition,  merely 
marching  in  that  course  with  our  foot  soldiers,  while 
our  mounted  force  was  engaged,  day  and  night,  scour 
ing  the  country  in  every  direction  in  search  of  horses 
and  mules;  and  now  that  a  sufficient  number  had  been 
obtained,  we  were  ready  to  push  forward  on  the  follow 
ing  morning  with  dispatch  and  rapidity. 

BATTLE   OP    DAY'S   GAP. 

On  the  morning  of  April  thirtieth,  1863,  the  sun 
shone  out  bright  and  beautiful,  as  spring  day's  sun  ever 
beamed;  and  from  the  smouldering  camp  fires  of  the 
previous  night  the  mild  blue  smoke  ascended  in  grace 
ful  curves,  and  mingled  with  the  gray  mist  slumbering 
on  the  moutain  tops  above.  The  scene  was  well  calcu 
lated  to  inspire  and  refresh  the  minds  of  our  weary  sol 
diers.  But  alas !  many  of  the  brave  souls  that  spurred 
their  steeds  on  that  beautiful  morning,  when  the  com 
mand  "Column  forward"  was  given,  were  never  to  see 
the  dawn  of  another  day.  Scarcely  was  the  column  in 
motion  when  our  rear  was  attacked  by  the  enemy's  ad 
vance;  sharp  skirmishing  continued  for  some  time  bo- 


22  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

tween  our  rear  guard  and  one  of  General  Roddy's  reg 
iments. 

It  was  Colonel  Streight's  intention  to  avoid,  if  pos 
sible,  a  general  engagement,  as  the  prosecution  of  our 
expedition  towards  its  intended  destination  was  of 
vastly  more  importance  than  a  victory  in  this  locality 
could  possibly  be  to  our  cause.  But  the  enemy  press 
ing  us  closely,  and  bringing  up  his  artillery,  throwing 
shot  and  shell  into  our  column,  a  battle  was  the  only 
alternative;  we  therefore,  soon  as  a  favorable  position 
was  obtained,  halted  and  dismounted,  and  after  con 
cealing  our  animals  in  a  deep  ravine  in  our  rear,  formed 
in  line  of  battle  for  the  coming  conflict.  It  was  a  novel 
and  imposing  sight  to  witness  here  amid  the  blue  and 
towering  mountains,  covered  with  the  verdure  of  spring, 
the  green  sward  smiling  a  welcome  to  the  season  of 
flowers,  and  the  bright  sun,  unclouded,  lending  a  genial, 
refreshing  warmth,  that  little  band,  with  shining  bayo 
nets,  equipped  for  the  stern  conflict  of  war.  The  hour 
for  action  has  come,  and  the  battle  of  Day's  Gap  soon 
commences. 

The  rebel  regiments  can  be  discovered  moving  into 
line;  the  "stars  and  bars"  can  be  distinctly  seen,  but 
opposite  floats  proudly  and  defiantly  the  old  stars  and 
stripes — battle  flag  of  the  Union  and  banner  of  liberty! 
The  Fifty-First  and  Seventy-Third  Indiana  regiments 
meet  and  repulse  two  desperate  charges  of  the  enemy. 
The  Third  Ohio  and  Eightieth  Illinois  have  also  be 
come  engaged.  The  cannonading  is  heavy,  and  the 
rattle  of  musketry  is  sharp,  especially  on  our  left.  The 
enemy  fights  well,  for  they  are  principally  General 
Forrest's  trained  veterans.  A  loud  and  prolonged 
shout  now  bursts  on  the  ear.  It  comes  from  the  Third 
Ohio  and  Eightieth  Illinois,  who  have  charged  and 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  23 

taken  the  enemy's  battery.  The  enemy  feel  the  loss  of 
their  guns  and  their  line  wavers!  Cheer  after  cheer 
bursts  from  our  brave  boys,  for  the  enemy  are  giving 
way!  They  are  already  running  in  the  utmost  disor 
der  and  confusion.  Our  gallant  soldiers  still  pursue, 
making  the  ground  quake  and  the  rebels  tremble.  The 
rout  is  complete  and  the  field  is  ours.  But  the  victory 
is  won  by  the  sacrifice  of  some  of  the  best  and  bravest 
blood  in  our  heroic  little  brigade. 

Those  are  proud  moments  for  the  soldier,  when  he 
stands  victorious  on  the  bloody  field,  and  sees  the 
columns  of  the  enemy  in  full  retreat  before  him. 

In  this  fight  the  enemy  received  such  a  severe  chas 
tisement  that  he  would  not  have  dared  to  pursue  us 
further,  had  he  not  been  reinforced  by  a  large  brigade 
of  Forrest's  troops,  which,  unfortunately  for  us,  came 
to  their  assistance  while  his  routed  and  demoralized 
masses  were  fleeing  from  the  scene  of  their  late  inglo 
rious  defeat.  The  rebel  loss  in  this  engagement  was 
about  one  hundred  and  eighty  officers  and  men  killed 
and  wounded,  including  Captain  Forrest,  a  brother  of 
the  General.  We  also  took  a  number  of  prisoners — 
about  thirty.  Our  own  loss  in  killed  and  wounded, 
was  thirty-one  officers  and  men,  including  the  brave 
and  lamented  Lieutenant-Colonel  Sheets,  of  the  Fifty- 
first  Indiana,  who  fell  mortally  wounded  while  leading 
his  regiment  in  a  charge. 

EEBEL   BARBARITIES. 

"We  remained  on  the  field  of  our  victory  for  some 
time,  anticipating  a  second  attack  from  the  enemy, 
who,  now  that  he  was  greatly  strengthened  by  the  ad 
dition  rf  a  fresh  brigade,  no  doubt  felt  confident  of 


24  THE   PRISONER   OP   WAR, 

making  us  an  easy  prey;  he  did  not,  however,  advance 
during  our  occupation  of  this  position. 

The  best  arrangements  possible  were  made  for  our 
wounded,  whom  we  were  compelled  to  leave  here  in  a 
field  hospital,  leaving  with  them,  however,  one  of  our 
surgeons,  (Dr.  Spencer,  of  the  Seventy-Third  Indiana,) 
also  such  articles  for  their  comfort  and  sustenance  as 
we  had  at  our  disposal.  It  was  with  feelings  of  the 
deepest  regret  that  we  left  here  in  a  hostile  country, 
soon  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  a  merciless  foe,  our  brave 
and  wounded  comrades.  But  the  necessities  of  war 
are  imperative;  consequently  when  the  command 
forward  was  given,  we  were  compelled  to  bid  adieu, 
and  leave  here  in  the  dark  mountain  ravine,  in  which 
our  hospital  was  located,  the  brave  but  unfortunate 
men  who  had  fallen  by  our  sides  in  the  late  severe  con 
flict.  The  treatment  experienced  by  these  men  after 
the  enemy  advanced  and  made  them  their  prisoners, 
was  inhuman  beyond  expression.  Every  ounce  of  the 
bread,  meat,  sugar,  coffee,  &c.,  left  for  their  subsistence, 
was  immediately  taken  possession  of  by  Forrest  and 
Roddy's  unfeeling  troopers.  And  their  blankets,  and 
such  articles  of  clothing  as  had  necessarily  been 
taken  off,  for  the  moment,  were  at  once  converted  to 
the  use  of  these  semi-barbarous  soldiers.  In  fact,  as 
these  acts  of  villainy  occurred  in  presence  of  the  rebel 
officers,  we  can  but  infer  that  it  was  in  accordance  with 
established  rules  and  regulations  for  these  villains  on 
all  occasions  to  exercise  their  thieving  propensities  to 
their  complete  gratification.  It  was  no  unfrequent 
occurrence  for  one  of  them  to  approach  our  wounded 
and  helpless  officers  and  men,  and  rudely  take  their 
hats  from  their  heads,  perhaps  inquire  the  cost  of  it, 
and  receiving  a  proper  reply,  impudently  remark  that 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  25 

it  was  "mighty  cheap,"  and  then  put  it  on  his  own 
head  and  walk  off.  Sometimes,  perhaps,  they  would 
leave  with  their  helpless  and  defenceless  victims,  an 
old,  gray  and  slouched  head  covering,  that  might  once 
have  been  called  a  hat,  and  call  it  an  "even  swap." 
Such  scenes  as  this  were  common,  and  only  terminated 
when  our  men  had  been  robbed  of  everything  valuable 
about  them,  including  even  pocket  knives,  combs,  and 
other  small  though  useful  articles.  Even  the  medicines 
and  surgical  instruments,  left  with  Dr.  Spencer  for  the 
benefit  of  the  wounded,  were  taken  by  the  rebel  sur 
geons  and  carried  off;  consequently  our  men  had  to 
lay  with  their  undressed  wounds,  and  suffer  the  most 
horrible  agony,  until  death  put  an  end  to  their  misery — 
several  of  them  dying,  who,  with  a  little  kind  treat 
ment  and  attention,  would  soon  have  recovered. 

The  loyal  citizens  in  the  vicinity  would  have  gladly 
cared  for,  and  given  all  the  comfort  and  relief  in  their 
power  to  our  wounded  men,  had  they  been  permitted 
to  do  so;  but  the  brutal  guard  would  not  allow  their 
suffering  fellow  beings  to  receive  from  this  source  even 
a  cup  of  milk  or  piece  of  bread.  But  thanks  to  the 
kind  sympathizing  heart  and  ingenious  tact  of  woman, 
the  vigilance  of  the  rebel  soldiers  was  occasionally  eva 
ded,  and  our  men  were  the  thankful  recipients  of  some 
kind  favor,  or  dainty  article  of  diet,  smuggled  to  them 
and  bestowed  by  her  fair  hands.  Nor  were  those 
wounded  men,  now  prisoners  of  war,  the  only  victims 
of  rebel  persecution.  The  citizens  of  the  surrounding 
countr}T,  who  were  suspected  of  loyalty  to  the  Union, 
were  compelled  to  suffer  the  greatest  indignities  and 
most  inhuman  treatment.  Mrs.  Penn,  a  widow  lady 
residing  in  the  vicinity,  and  who  had  two  sons  with 
us  in  Captain  Smith's  company  of  Alabama  cavalry, 


26  THE   PRISONER  OF  WAR, 

seemed  to  be  a  special  object  of  their  fiendish  and 
malignant  barbarities;  she  and  her  daughters  were 
driven  from  their  home,  her  house  sacked  from  cellar 
to  garret,  and  every  article  of  property  she  possessed, 
including  female  wearing  apparel,  ruthlessly  destroyed, 
her  outhouses  and  fences  burned,  and  horses  and  mules 
turned  in  on  her  growing  crops. 

BATTLE  OF  CROOKED  CREEK. 

After  leaving  Day's  Gap,  we  proceeded  several  miles 
without  any  evidence  of  the  enemy  being  in  pursuit, 
but  about  four  o'clock  in  the  evening  our  rear  was 
again  attacked,  and  as  we  did  not  want  to  lose  time  by 
halting  to  give  battle,  if  it  could  possibly  be  avoided, 
the  column  was  kept  in  motion,  skirmishing  fighting 
going  on,  however,  all  the  time  between  Captain 
Smith's  two  companies  of  cavalry  and  the  enemy's 
advance.  Captain  Smith,  with  his  little  handful  of 
men,  kept  the  enemy  at  bay  for  more  than  two  hours. 
But  they  were  now  pressing  us  so  closely  that  Colonel 
Streight  resolved  to  halt  his  command,  and  again  give 
them  battle.  In  a  short  time  the  bloody  strife  was 
raging  with  all  the  fury  of  brave  and  determined  men. 
Charge  after  charge,  made  by  the  enemy,  was  met  and 
repulsed  by  our  brave  boys,  who  drove  back  with  ter 
rible  destruction  each  successive  effort,  to  dislodge  them 
from  the  admirable  position  selected  for  our  line  of  de 
fense. 

This  engagement  raged  with  greater  desperation  for 
some  time  than  the  preceding  action  in  the  morning. 
The  report  of  fire-arms  was  terrific;  the  flashes  from 
musketry  and  artillery  lighting  up  the  hills  on  all  sides, 
rendering  the  scene,  although  of  death  and  carnage, 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  27 

one  of  the  grandest  sublimity.  It  was  now  about  ten 
o'clock,  yet  by  the  light  of  the  full  moon,  which  looked 
calmly  down  on  the  bloody  scene,  we  were  able  to  dis 
cover  that  the  enemy  had  began  to  waver  and  fall 
back,  unable  to  contend  longer  against  the  terrible  fire 
our  men  were  pouring  with  fearful  destruction  into 
their  ranks.  In  a  short  time  all  was  quiet,  and  the 
still  air  of  night,  that  but  a  few  moments  before  re 
sounded  with  the  roar  of  artillery  and  musketry,  was 
only  broken  by  the  lonely  notes  of  the  whip-poor-will, 
as  they  came  from  his  secluded  spot  in  the  surrounding 
forest.  And  the  Provisional  Brigade  was  victorious 
on  two  bloody  fields  in  one  day.  But  we  lost  in  killed 
and  wounded  some  brave  and  valuable  men;  among 
the  number  who  fell  in  this  engagement,  was  the  brave 
and  gallant  young  adjutant  of  the  Eightieth  Illinois, 
Lieutenant  J.  C.  Jones. 

The  enemy  in  this  action  had  their  whole  force  en 
gaged,  yet,  by  the  skillful  maneuvering  of  our  little 
brigade,  we  met  and  repulsed  them  at  every  point.  To 
this,  and  the  bravery  and  determination  of  our  men, 
we  alone  can  ascribe  our  success  in  meeting  and  driving 
back  discomfitted  numbers,  so  much  our  superior,  and 
having  at  their  command  several  heavy  field  pieces. 
Our  artillery  consisted  only  of  two  small  mountain 
howitzers,  and  the  two  pieces  taken  from  Forrest  in 
the  morning;  for  the  latter  we  had  but  a  small  quan 
tity  of  ammunition,  the  caisons  being  nearly  empty 
when  captured;  they  were,  therefore,  soon  of  no  ser 
vice,  and  were  ordered  by  the  Colonel  to  be  spiked, 
and  the  carriages  cut  down. 

CAPTURE    OF    DR.    KING. 

From  the  earliest  moments   of  the  above    bloody 


28  THE    PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

scene,  Dr.  Peck,  Medical  Director,  and  his  assistants, 
were  active  in  collecting  and  caring  for  our  wounded; 
but  before  this  arduous,  yet  humane  duty,  was  accom 
plished,  our  command  was  in  motion — in  fact  had 
advanced  some  considerable  distance — and  a  rebel  regi 
ment  had  already  formed  and  started  in  pursuit;  con 
sequently  to  rejoin  the  brigade,  Drs.  Peck  and  King, 
who,  regardless  of  personal  safety,  still  remained  with 
our  wounded,  had  to  pass  along  the  full  length  of  this 
regiment,  which  they  did  with  safety  and  without 
creating  any  suspicion ;  but  after  passing  the  head  of 
the  column,  it  occurred  to  the  "rebs"  that  they  were 
"  real  live  Yankees,"  and  the  foremost  of  the  party 
shouted  several  times  at  the  top  of  his  voice  for  them 
to  halt,  and  started  with  a  half  dozen  comrades  in  pur 
suit,  the  whole  party  discharging  their  carbines  after 
the  flying  disciples  of  ^Esculapius  fortunately  without 
effect,  though  being  well  mounted  they  soon  overtook 
Dr.  King,  whom  they  made 'a  prisoner.  Dr.  Peck, 
mounted  on  his  favorite  little  roan,  was  by  this  time 
considerably  advanced,  consequently  was  able  to  escape, 
and  soon  rejoined  the  command. 

AMBUSHING   THE   ENEMY. 

Colonel  Streight,  anticipating  an  advance  of  Forrest's 
forces,  soon  as  it  was  known  to  them  that  we  were 
moving,  directed  Colonel  Hathaway,  with  his  regiment, 
(Seventy-Third  Indiana,)  to  lay  concealed  in  the  heavy 
timber  near  by,  for  the  purpose  of  ambushing  them  in 
case  of  an  immediate  advance.  But  a  few  moments 
elapsed  before  the  enemy's  column  was  discovered  ap 
proaching;  and  soon  their  advance  battalion  came  up 
unsuspectingly  within  forty  yards  of  our  concealed 


•    AND    HOW   TREATED.  29 

regiment,  which  at  that  instant  poured  a  full  volley  of 
musketry  into  their  ranks,  sending  them  back,  pell 
mell,  in  the  greatest  consternation  and  disorder,  with 
the  full  conviction,  no  douht,  that  every  tree  for  miles 
around  concealed  a  Yankee  soldier  with  a  musket 
charged  to  the  muzzle.  But  relying  on  the  advantage 
of  being  in  their  own  country,  consequently  acquainted 
with  every  road  and  by-path,  also  conscious  of  their 
superior  numbers,  they  soon  rallied,  and  attacked  us 
again  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  Colonel 
Straight  again  resolved  to  ambush  them ;  which  proved 
so  successful,  and  gave  them  such  a  taste  of  Yankee 
courage  and  skill,  that  we  had  no  further  annoyance 
until  about  eleven  o'clock  next  day,  when  our  pickets 
were  attacked  just  as  we  were  leaving  Blountsville, 
where  we  had  halted  to  feed  our  animals  and  refresh 
the  exhausted  and  fatigued  men,  who  had  not  had  a 
moments  rest  for  two  days  and  nights. 


CHAPTER  II. 


BURNING   BLACK   CREEK   BRIDGE. 

On  the  morning  of  May  2nd  we  crossed  Black  Creek, 
near  Gadsend,  Alabama,  on  a  fine  wooden  bridge, 
which  was  afterwards  burned  by  our  rear  guard.  This, 
it  was  thought,  would  delay  Forrest's  forces  long 
enough  to  enable  us  to  reach  Rome,  Georgia,  before 
he  could  again  overtake  us,  as  the  stream  was  very 
deep  and  seemed  to  be  unfordable.  But  among  a  lot 
of  prisoners  captured  by  us  in  the  morning,  and  pa 
roled,  was  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  Sansom,  who, 
soon  as  set  at  liberty,  made  his  way  direct  to  the  pur 
suing  force  of  General  Forrest,  and  piloted  that  officer 
and  his  command  to  a  ford  where  the  whole  force  soon 
crossed  and  started  again  in  pursuit  of  our  brigade. 
From  this  incident  the  rebels  manufactured  the  follow 
ing  bit  of  romance : 

"General  Forrest  had  been  pursuing  the  enemy  all 
day,  and  was  close  upon  their  heels,  when  the  pursuit 
was  effectually  checked  by  the  destruction  by  the  en 
emy  of  a  bridge  over  a  deep  creek,  which,  for  the  time, 
separated  pursuer  and  pursued.  The  country  was  ex 
ceedingly  wild  and  rugged,  and  the  banks  of  the  creek 
too  steep  for  passage  on  horseback.  General  Forrest 
rode  up  to  a  modest  little  farm  house  on  the  road  side, 

( 30  •> 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  31 

and  seeing  a  young  maiden  standing  upon  the  little 
stoop  in  front  of  the  dwelling,  he  accosted  her,  and  in 
quired  if  there  was  any  ford  or  passage  for  his  men 
across  the  creek  above  or  below  the  destroyed  bridge. 
The  young  girl  proceeded  to  direct  him,  with  animated 
gesture,  and  cheeks  flushed  with  excitement,  and  al 
most  breathless  in  her  eagerness  to  aid  the  noble  cause 
of  the  gallant  Confederate  General. 

" It  was  a  scene  for  a  painter.  The  Southern  girl, 
her  cheeks  glowing  and  her  bright  eyes  flashing,  while 
her  mother,  attracted  by  the  colloquy,  stood  holding 
the  door,  and  gazing  upon  the  cavalcade  over  her  ven 
erable  spectacles,  the  cavalry  chieftain  resting  his  legs 
carelessly  over  the  saddle-pommel,  his  staff'  drawn  up 
around  him,  and  his  weather-worn  veterans  scattered 
in  groups  about  the  road,  and  some  of  them  actually 
nodding  in  their  saddles  from  excessive  fatigue.  After 
some  further  inquiry,  General  Forrest  asked  the  young 
lady  if  she  would  not  mount  behind  him  and  show  him 
the  way  to  the  ford.  She  hesitated,  and  turned  to  her 
mother  an  inquiring  look.  The  mother,  with  a  deli 
cacy  becoming  a  prudent  parent,  rather  seemed  to 
object  to  her  going  with  the  soldiers. 

"  'Mother,'  she  said,  'I  am  not  afraid  to  trust  myself 
with  as  brave  a  man  as  General  Forrest.' 

"  'But,  my  dear,  folks  will  talk  about  you.' 

"  'Let  them  talk,'  responded  the  heroic  girl,  <I  must 
go.'  And  with  that  she  lightly  sprang  upon  the  roots 
of  a  fallen  tree,  Forrest  drew  his  mettled  charger  near 
her,  she  grasped  the  hero  fearlessly  about  the  waist 
and  sprung  up  behind  him,  and  away  they  went — over 
brake  and  bramble,  through  the  glade,  and  on  towards 
the  ford.  The  route  was  a  difficult  one,  even  for  as 
experienced  a  rider  as  Forrest,  but  his  fair  young  com- 


32 

panion  and  guide  held  her  seat  like  an  experienced 
horsewoman,  and  without  the  slightest  evidence  of 
fear.  At  length  they  drew  near  to  the  ford.  Upon 
the  high  ridge  above,  the  quick  eye  of  Forrest  descried 
the  Yankee  sharpshooters,  dodging  from  tree  to  tree, 
nnd  pretty  soon  an  angry  minnie  whistled  by  his  ear. 

"'What  was  that,  General  Forrest?'  asked  the 
maiden. 

"  *  Bullets/  he  replied;  'are  you  afraid?' 

She  replied  in  the  negative,  and  they  proceeded  on. 
At  length  it  became  necessary,  from  the  density  of  the 
undergrowth  and  snags,  to  dismount,  and  Forrest 
hitched  his  horse,  and  the  girl  preceded  him,  leading 
the  way  herself — remarking  that  the  Yankees  would 
not  fire  upon  her,  and  they  might  fire  if  he  went  first. 
To  this  Forrest  objected,  not  wishing  to  screen  himself 
behind  the  brave  girl;  and,  taking  the  lead  himself, 
the  two  proceeded  on  to  the  ford  under  the  fire  of  the 
Yankee  rear  guard.  Having  discovered  the  route  he 
returned,  brought  up  his  axemen  and  cleared  out  a 
road,  and  safely  crossed  his  whole  column. 

"Upon  taking  leave  of  his  fair  young  guide,  the 
General  asked  if  there  was  anything  he  might  do  for 
her  in  return  for  her  invaluable  services.  She  told  him 
that  the  Yankees  on  ahead  had  her  brother  prisoner, 
and  if  General  Forrest  would  only  release  him  she 
should  be  more  than  repaid.  The  General  took  out 
his  watch,  and  examined  it.  It  was  just  five  minutes 
to  eleven.  'To-morrow,'  he  said,  'at  five  minutes  to 
eleven  o'clock,  your  brother  shall  be  returned  to  you.' 
And  so  the  sequel  proved.  Streight,  with  his  whole 
command,  was  captured  at  ten  the  next  morning. 
Young  Sansom  was  released,  and  dispatched  on  the 
fleetest  horse  in  the  command  to  return  to  his  heroic 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  33 

sister,  whose  courage  and  presence  of  mind  had  con 
tributed  so  much  to  the  success  of  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  cavalry  pursuits  and  captures  known  in 
the  world's  history." 

The  true  version  of  this  story  is,  as  near  as  possible, 
as  follows:  Whenever  we  captured  any  prisoners,  they 
were  immediately  paroled,  and  not  taken  along  with 
the  command  any  distance;  especially  not  forty  or  fifty 
miles,  as  this  rebel  romance  would  indicate.  And  the 
young  Confederate  soldier,  Sansom,  was  with  General 
Forrest  when  our  command  surrendered,  and  notwith 
standing  his  solemn  oath  not  to  aid  or  comfort  in  any 
manner  whatever  the  enemies  of  the  United  States, 
was  fully  armed  and  equipped,  and  boasted  that  it  was 
the  bullet  shot  from  his  gun  that  killed  the  noble 
Hathaway. 


Soon  after  crossing  Black  Creek,  we  passed  through 
the  town  of  Gadsend,  where  we  destroyed  a  quantity 
of  rebel  stores,  and  captured  some  prisoners.  'We  then 
proceeded  on  to  Blunt's  plantation,  where  we  halted 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  the  men  an  opportunity  of 
preparing  a  hasty  meal  for  themselves  and  to  feed  their 
animals.  But  the  anticipated  pleasure  of  a  cup  of 
steaming  coffee,  which  the  Union  soldier  considers  one 
of  his  indispensables,  was  soon  dispelled  by  the  report 
of  musketry  in  the  direction  of  our  picket  line.  Th 
command  was  immediately  given  to  prepare  for  action, 
and  almost  instantly  every  man  in  the  Provisional 
Brigade  seized  his  gun,  and  was  marching  out  bravely 
and  defiantly  to  engage  once  more  the  vastly  superior 
force  of  the  enemy,  with  whom  we  had  contended  sue- 
(3) 


34  THE   PRISONER   OF    WAR, 

cessfully  for  three  days,  and  had  completely  routed  and 
defeated  in  two  regular  pitched  battles.  Colonel  Hath 
away,  with  his  regiment,  was  directed  to  the  front  and 
center,  to  support  our  two  howitzers,  which  were  doing 
such  fearful  execution  in  the  ranks  of  the  enemy,  that 
they  seemed  to  have  resolved  to  capture  them  if  possi- 
>le,  regardless  of  the  cost  in  blood.  Their  efforts,  how 
ever,  were  fruitless,  for  although  nearly  every  gunner 
and  man  connected  with  the  two  pieces  was  either 
killed  or  wounded,  Colonel  Hathaway  so  determinedly 
maintained  his  position  that  the  enemy  recoiled  in  the 
greatest  confusion,  our  men  pouring  a  perfect  hail  of 
lead  into  his  retreating  columns.  This  action  lasted 
for  nearly  three  hours,  the  enemy  charging  our  lines 
from  right  to  left  repeatedly,  but  was  as  often  repulsed, 
with  severe  loss,  by  our  gallant  regiments.  When  the 
sun  set  on  that  tranquil  evening,  sinking  slowly  down 
behind  the  forest,  unstirred  by  the  least  breath  of  wind, 
the  sharp  and  bloody  struggle  was  decided.  The  ene 
my  was  retreating  badly  hurt;  his  dead  men  and 
horses  strewing  their  line  of  retreat. 

Our  heroes  won  the  day  by  hard  and  desperate 
fighting,  but  lost  in  the  struggle  one  of  the  most  valiant 
hearts  that  ever  beat.  He  was  in  the  performance  of 
his  duty,  riding  along  his  skirmish  line,  waving  his 
hat  and  cheering  his  men  on,  when  he  received  a  pul 
monary  wound  from  a  minnie  ball,  cutting  a  large 
blood  vessel,  from  which  he  died  almost  instantly. 
And  the  noble,  the  chivalric,  the  gallant  Hathaway, 
was  no  more.  He  fell,  the  noblest  of  sacrifices  on  the 
altar  of  his  country,  to  whose  glorious  service  he  had 
dedicated  his  life.  Thus  passed  away  a  noble,  lofty 
soul;  thus  ended  a  career  full  of  arduous,  glorious,  and 
splendid  achievements.  He  was  ever  with  that  part 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  35 

of  his  regiment  which  was  under  the  hottest  fire,  and 
when  the  enemy  shifted  their  fire  to  other  portions,  he 
proceeded  thither  and  directed  the  movements  of  each 
company  in  person.  His  men  will  remember  how 
cheering  and  inspiring  was  his  presence  with  them— 
how  his  coolness  steadied  them  in  the  most  exciting 
moments — and  his  brave,  cheerful  voice,  was  the  her 
ald  of  success.  His  character  was  so  frank,  and  open, 
and  beautiful — his  bearing  so  modest  and  full  of  sim 
plicity,  that  he  conciliated  all  hearts,  and  made  every 
one  who  met  him  his  friend. 

Thus  modest,  brave,  loving  and  beloved — the  famous 
soldier,  the  charming  companion,  he  was  called  away 
from  the  scenes  of  his  triumphs  and  glory,  to  a  brighter 
world,  where  neither  war  nor  rumors  of  war  ever  come, 
and  wounds,  and  pain,  and  suffering  are  unknown; 
where 

"  Malice  domestic,  foreign  levy,  nothing 
Can  touch  him  further!  " 

PROSPECTS   OP   SUCCESS. 

Affairs  were  now  rapidly  approaching  a  crisis ;  every 
one  felt  that  the  next  twenty-four  hours  would  decide 
the  fate  of  our  expedition.  We  were  now  within 
sixty  miles  of  Rome,  the  point  at  which  we  de 
signed  crossing  the  Coosa  river;  and  if  we  could  reach 
that  place  before  a  force  could  be  thrown  in  to  check 
our  further  advance,  complete  success  would  be  inevi 
table;  for  once  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and 
the  bridge  destroyed  after  us,  the  pursuit  of  Forrest 
would  be  effectually  checked,  and  we  would  then  have 
ample  time  to  recruit  the  exhausted  energies  of  our 
men  and  animals;  besides,  if  necessary  we  could  soon 


36  THE    PRISONER   OF    WAR, 

obtain  an  entire  fresh  supply  of  the  latter;  and  could 
then  either  fight  or  decline  battle  at  our  own  option. 
On  the  contrary,  should  there  be  a  force  collected  at 
Rome  sufficient  to  prevent  us  crossing  the  bridge, 
there  would  be  no  alternative  left  us  but  to  surrender, 
the  exhausted  condition  of  our  men  and  animals  ren 
dering  escape  by  any  route,  strategy,  or  valor  in  battle, 
an  impossibility.  To  guard  against  the  above  contin 
gency,  Captain  Russell,  of  the  Fifty-First  Indiana,  was 
ordered  with  two  hundred  picked  men,  mounted  on 
our  best  horses,  to  proceed  with  the  greatest  dispatch 
to  Rome  and  take  possession  of  the  river  bridge,  rail 
road  stock,  and  telegraph  lines,  before  the  forces  there 
could  make  preparation  for  defence,  or  troops  be 
brought  from  Atlanta  and  other  points  on  the  railroad, 
in  case  they  were  advised  by  couriers  from  General 
Forrest,  or  otherwise,  of  the  advance  of  our  expedi 
tion. 

After  some  active  demonstrations,  and  stragetic 
movements,  designed  to  impress  the  enemy  with  the 
belief  that  we  were  preparing  for  a  renewal  of  the  con 
test  at  the  earliest  dawn  of  day,  the  balance  of  the 
command  moved  on  as  fast  as  the  fatigued  condition 
of  our  animals  would  permit. 

LOSE   OUR  ROUTE. 

Strong  hopes  were  now  entertained  of  success,  and 
would,  no  doubt,  have  been  realized,  had  not  our  guide 
XQisled  us  in  regard  to  the  ford  by  which  to  cross  the 
Chattoogee  river.  In  justice  to  him,  however,  it  is  but 
proper  to  remark,  that  he  was  a  true  and  faithful  man, 
and  this,  the  only  instance  in  which  he  seemed  at  fault; 
but  this  irreparable  mistake  took  us  at  least  twelve 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  37 

miles  out  of  our  direct  course,  besides  otherwise  delay 
ing  us. 

We  marched  all  this  night,  making  four  consecutive 
days  and  nights  in  the  saddle,  except  when  lighting  or 
feeding  our  animals. 

It  was  during  this,  our  last  night's  march,  that  one 
of  our  scouting  parties  destroyed  the  Round  Mountain 
Iron  Works,  situated  in  the  Cherokee  Valley,  about 
thirty  miles  from  Rome.  These  works  were,  at  the 
time,  largely  engaged  manufacturing  ordnance  and 
material  for  the  rebel  army,  and  employed  nearly  one 
thousand  hands. 


Our  vanguard,  consisting  of  two  hundred  men,  under 
command  of  Captain  Milton  Russell,  of  the  Fifty-First 
Indiana,  arrived  in  the  vicinity  of  Rome  about  eight 
o'clock  next  morning  after  the  battle  of  Blunt's  Farm,  at 
least  four  hours  later  than  it  was  expected  they  would 
reach  that  point,  but  their  animals  were  so  completely 
exhausted  that  it  had  been  impossible  for  them  to  get 
there  sooner,  as  they  had  rode  all  night  at  the  utmost 
speed  of  their  jaded  horses.  By  this  time  the  city  was 
full  of  armed  men.  General  Forrest's  courier  (a  citizen 
of  Gadsend)  having  arrived  six  hours  previous,  gave 
the  first  intelligence  of  our  near  approach,  so  rapidly 
and  dexterously  had  our  movements  been  executed. 
But,  in  this  short  time,  a  large  number  of  troops  had 
been  hurried  from  Atlanta,  Kingston  and  Dalton;  be 
sides,  the  citizens  and  home-guards  for  miles  around, 
had  been  collected  and  put  under  arms,  several  pieces 
of  artillery  had  also  been  put  in  position  commanding 
the  river  bridge  and  every  avenue  by  which  the  city 


38  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

could  be  approached.  The  floor  of  the  bridge  was  torn 
up  and  piled  with  straw  and  turpentine,  ready  to  ignite, 
in  case  an  attempt  was  made  to  force  a  crossing.  The 
following  extract  from  the  Eome  Courier,  of  the  Tues 
day  morning  following,  will,  I  hope,  satisfy  the  incred 
ulous  of  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  preparations  made 
or  our  reception. 

The  Courier  says : 

"  Sunday  morning  last,  opened  at  half-past  two  o'clock 
A.  M.,  with  an  alarm.  Mr.  John  H.  "VVisdam,  a  resi 
dent  of  Gadsend,  Alabama,  and  a  former  resident  of 
this  city,  reached  here,  after  riding  with  hot  haste  for 
eleven  hours,  and  gave  information  that  the  enemy 
were  at  Gadsend  when  he  left,  and  were  bound  for 
Rome.  Preparations  were  begun  with  dispatch,  and 
by  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  our  soldiery  and  citi 
zens  were  prepared  to  give  them  a  warm  reception. 
Several  pieces  of  artillery  were  placed  in  position  com 
manding  the  road  and  river  bridge.  Cotton  barricades 
were  erected  at  all  the  defiles  near  the  city,  videttes 
sent  out  to  watch  the  enemy's  approach.  Everything 
was  got  in  readiness  for  determined  resistance.  Dur 
ing  the  morning  several  couriers  arrived  with  dispatches 
from  General  Forrest,  urging  our  commander  here  to 
hold  them  at  bay  a  few  hours  if  possible,  and  at  all 
hazards. 

"About  half-past  eight  o'clock  A.  M.,  a  small  body 
of  the  enemy's  advance  (about  two  hundred)  reached 
the  environs  of  the  city;  and  were  actually  bold  enough 
to  dismount  and  feed  their  horses  in  sight  of  the  city. 
They  picked  up  all  the  horses  and  mules  in  the  neigh 
borhood,  took  some  of  our  soldiers  and  citizens  pris 
oners,  and  reconnoitered  the  defences  of  the  city." 

Among  the  prisoners  referred  to  in  the  above  extract, 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  39 

was  a  rebel  mail  carrier;  he  was  met  on  the  road  by 
Captain  Russell's  men,  when  within  a  few  miles  of 
Kome.  He  at  first  declined  accompanying  our  "boys" 
who  were  going  in  the  direction  from  whence  he  just 
came,  but  the  Captain  assured  him  that  the  "Yan 
kees"  were  but  a  short  distance  behind,  and  that  if  he 
continued  his  route,  he  would  undoubtedly  fall  into 
their  hands.  It  needed  no  further  argument  to  induce 
him  to  "change  front"  and  proceed  with  our  men  in 
the  direction  of  Rome. 

Whether  the  Captain  will  consider  it  a  compliment 
or  otherwise,  1  will  state  that  the  rebel  "post-boy" 
supposed  he  was  one  of  Forrest's  Colonels,  consequently 
was  very  familiar  and  talkative,  and  furnished  him  with 
much  valuable  information  concerning  the  numbers  and 
disposition  of  the  troops  and  defences  of  the  city.  It 
is  difficult  to  imagine  his  surprise  and  consternation 
when  our  men  were  attacked  by  the  rebel  pickets  sent 
out  from  Rome — he  turned  instantly  pale  as  a  corpse, 
and  tremblingly  gasped  that  he  "guessed  the  Yankees 
had  already  got  him."  On  his  arrival  in  the  vicinity 
of  Rome,  Captain  Russell  immediately  reconnoitered 
its  defences  and  military  strength,  which  were,  indeed, 
quite  formidable,  yet  notwithstanding  the  Captain  and 
his  gallant  "two  hundred"  would  have  attempted  to 
enter  its  limits  but  for  the  condition  of  the  river  bridge 
as  before  stated.  The  excitement  and  panic  created 
throughout  all  this  portion  of  Dixie  by  our  unexpected 
appearance,  was  truly  diverting.  Many  of  the  cowardly 
traitors,  no  doubt,  really  thought  that  the  day  of  retri 
bution  had  come. 

The  "Atlanta  Confederacy"  of  Monday  morning, 
May  4th,  says: 

"Yesterday  (Sunday)  morning  about  three  o'clock, 


40  THE   PRISONER   OF    AVAR, 

Colonel  Lee  received  a  dispatch  from  Major  Rawlins, 
stating  that  the  Yankees  were  at  Gadsend  on  the  Coosa 
river,  and  were  bound  for  Rome;  he  immediately  got 
in  readiness,  and  with  his  own  regiment  and  all  that 
remained  of  the  provost  guards,  and  some  others,  took 
the  train  at  five  o'clock  A.  M.,  intending  to  go  to  the 
•lefense  of  that  place,  or  any  other  point  where  his  pres 
ence  might  be  needed." 

The  same  paper  also  contains  the  following  letter 
from  conductor  Smith,  on  the  Rome  Railroad,  to  a  Mr. 
Stillwell : 

KINGSTON,  May  3d,  1863. 

"MR.  C.  H.  STILLWELL — Dear  Sir:  I  learned  this 
morning  that  the  Yankees  were  below  Rome,  and  that 
our  men  needed  reinforcements.  I  then  ran  the  train 
to  Rome  from  this  place  to  carry  about  seven  hundred 
men,  and  have  just  returned,  having  learned  the  follow 
ing  particulars :  General  Forrest  has  overtaken  the 
enemy  at  Gaylesville,  Cherokee  county,  Alabama,  about 
twenty  miles  west  of  Rome,  and  the  courier  stated  that 
an  engagement  had  taken  place.  The  courier  left  be 
fore  the  fight  closed,  therefore  we  can't  tell  the  result. 
I  have  a  dispatch  from  General  Forrest  to  General 
Bragg,  asking  for  a  force  to  be  sent  to  Rome  to  check 
them.  Their  advance  came  within  eight  miles  of  Rome 
this  morning,  and  drove  in  our  pickets.  They  num 
bered  two  hundred.  Their  whole  force  is  about  fifteen 
hundred.  "We  have  the  bridges  guarded,  and  feel  con- 
tident  of  our  ability  to  hold  them.  Mrs.  Stillwell  is  at 
Oliver's.  The  bullets  flew  thick  around  your  house, 
but  your  family  are  all  safe.  We  do  not  fear  any  at 
tack  between  here  and  Rome.  The  enemy  burnt  No- 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  41 

ble's  Iron  Works.     We  need  more  men.     If  Forrest 
fails  to  check  them,  then  good  by  to  Rome. 
"  Yours,  Respectfully, 

«  C.  A.  SMITH, 

"  Conductor  of  the  Rome  Railroad" 

SURRENDER  TO  GENERAL  FORREST. 

Notwithstanding  the  chastisement  we  gave  the  enemy 
the  previous  evening,  in  the  engagement  at  Blunt' s 
Farm,  and  the  intimidation  caused  by  our  subsequent 
demonstrations,  the  delay  occasioned  by  our  guide's 
mistake,  enabled  him  to  overtake  us  about  nine  o'clock 
next  morning,  (Sunday,  May  3d,)  near  Gaylesville,  Al 
abama,  where  we  had  halted  to  feed  our  animals. 

They  soon  attacked  us,  and  after  some  slight  skirm 
ishing,  General  Forrest  sent  a  flag  of  truce  to  Colonel 
Streight,  demanding  a  surrender.  The  Colonel  held  a 
consultation  with  the  regimental  commanders,  in  which 
our  situation  and  chances  of  success  were  fully  can 
vassed.  We  had  but  a  small  quantity  of  artillery  am 
munition,  and  the  few  rounds  of  rifle  and  musket  car 
tridges  on  hands,  were  unfit  for  service.  The  enemy 
had  a  brigade  on  our  left  endeavoring  to  flank  us,  and 
was,  in  fact,  at  this  time,  nearer  Rome  than  we  were. 
Our  men  were  completely  exhausted,  having  had  no 
rest  for  four  days  and  nights.  While  General  Forrest, 
having  the  advantage  of  good  horses,  had  been  able  to 
rest  his  command,  at  least  half  of  each  night,  his  sol 
diers  were,  therefore,  fresh  and  vigorous  compared  with 
the  fatigued  and  worn-out  condition  of  both  our  men 
and  animals.  Captain  Russell,  with  the  advance  of 
two  hundred  men,  as  has  already  been  shown,  was  un 
able  to  cross  the  river  at  Rome.  It  was  evident  that 


42  THE    PRISONER   OF   WAR. 

we  had  now  to  contend  with  a  superior  force,  both  in 
front  and  rear.  All  circumstances  taken  into  consid 
eration,  our  situation  seemed  hopeless.  It  was,  there 
fore,  decided  to  surrender  on  the  following  terms : 
Each  regiment  to  retain  its  colors,  and  the  officers  and 
men  their  private  property,  including  the  side  arms  of 
he  former.  These  terms  were  agreed  to  by  General 
Forrest.  Our  brigade  was  then  drawn  up  in  line,  our 
arms  stacked,  and  we  were  prisoners  of  war. 


CHAPTEE  III. 


ARRIVE  AT  ROME. 

The  same  day  that  we  were  made  prisoners  we  were 
marched  under  guard  to  Rome.  A  considerable  change 
in  the  programme  we  had  proposed  following,  in  regard 
to  our  entry  of  that  place.  But  I  trust  the  preceding 
chapters  are  sufficient  evidence  that  the  alteration  was 
no  fault  of  ours. 

The  citizens  of  the  place  gave  unmistakable  proof  of 
their  joy  to  see  us;  but  had  we  entered  their  town  as 
we  expected  to  have  done,  I  very  much  doubt  if  the 
ladies  would  have  thronged  the  streets  with  gay  dresses, 
gaudy  ribjbons,  and  smiling  faces,  to  greet  us.  At  least 
I  am  informed  that  there  was  no  demonstration  of  joy, 
when  the  Union  troops  entered  the  town  a  year  after 
wards,  as  conquerors. 

We  remained  in  Rome  until  Tuesday  morning,  May 
5th,  under  orders  of  General  Forrest,  who,  to  his  credit 
be  it  said,  furnished  us  with  sufficient  rations  for  our 
subsistence,  also  with  comfortable  quarters.  Though 
here,  as  in  every  other  Southern  city  through  which 
we  passed,  every  insult  that  a  low,  malignant,  unprin 
cipled  and  debased  spirit  could  invent,  was  heaped 
upon  us  by  the  citizens,  who  crowded  around  the  cars 

(43) 


44  THE    PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

to  express  their  contempt  for  "Yankees,"  and  to  boast 
of  the  superiority  and  nobleness  of  the  chivalric  South 
erner. 

But  even  then,  during  the  brightest  days  of  rebel 
lion,  unmistakable  evidence  of  loyal  sentiment  was 
everywhere  visible,  but  so  intimidated  by  Jeff  Davis' 
bayonets,  that  it  dare  not  openly  manifest  itself. 
Though  at  some  points  on  our  route,  when  unnoticed 
by  the  guard,  the  ladies  would  present  some  of  our 
officers  with  choice  boquets,  whose  pressed  and  faded 
leaves  they  still  retain  as  tributes  of  Southern  devotion 
to  the  Union,  and  sympathy  for  those  who  have  battled 
for  the  "glorious  flag." 

ARRIVAL   AT   LIBBY   PRISON. 

The  officers  of  our  command  arrived  at  Richmond 
and  were  placed  in  the  Libby  Prison  on  the  sixteenth 
day  of  May.  We  were  informed  by  the  rebel  officials, 
that  we  would  be  detained  there  a  few  days,  perhaps 
three  or  four,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  a  flag  of  truce 
boat  from  Fortress  Monroe  to  convey  us  North;  we 
were  indeed  most  gloomy.  Had  we  then  known  that 
we  should  have  to  remain  within  the  gloomy  walls  of 
"Libby"  for  twelve  long,  tedious  and  weary  months, 
never  for  once  breathing  the  pure  air  of  heaven,  and 
without  a  glimpse  of  bright  sunshine  or  blue  sky,  ex 
cept  through  the  grated  bars  of  the  narrow  windows, 
it  is  impossible  to  conjecture  the  depressing  influence 
the  information  would  have  had  upon  our  spirits.  'Tis 
well  indeed  for  our  race  that  the  events  of  the  future 
are  beyond  the  fathom  of  human  ken. 

On  the  fifth  day  of  our  incarceration  in  Libby,  the 
anxiouslv  looked  for  boat  arrived  from  Fortress  Mou- 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  45 

roe,  at  City  Point.  Our  hearts  beat  joyfully  at  the 
prospect  of  liberty,  and  of  once  more  enjoying  the  pro 
tecting  folds  of  our  much  loved  flag.  But  we  were 
doomed  to  bitter  disappointment.  Other  prisoners, 
captured  after  we  were,  were  sent  away  in  return  for 
the  rebel  prisoners  brought  up  by  our  Commissioner 
and  we  were  informed  that  we  would  be  exchanged 
when  the  next  boat  arrived.  This  was  some  consola 
tion.  Though  we  were  of  course  justly  indignant  that 
we  were  not  sent  off  on  the  first  boat,  as,  according  to 
the  rules  of  the  cartel,  prisoners  were  always  exchanged 
in  the  order  of  their  capture. 

At  the  appointed  time,  another  boat  arrived  from 
Fortress  Monroe,  with  a  sufficient  number  of  prisoners 
to  exchange  for  our  entire  command ;  but  our  Com 
missioner  was  informed  by  the  rebel  authorities  that 
we  would  not  be  given  up ;  but  that  we  would  be 
delivered  to  the  Governor  of  Alabama,  to  be  dealt 
with  according  to  the  laws  of  that  State  for  inci 
ting  servile  insurrection,  alleging  that  during  our  ex 
pedition  we  had  armed  and  pressed  negro  slaves  into 
the  military  service  of  the  United  States.  This  was  a 
gross  fabrication,  with  no  foundation  in  truth;  in  fact 
the  charge  was  never  afterwards  officially  brought 
against  us.  « 

In  consequence  of  this  act  of  the  rebel  authorities, 
all  exchanges  of  prisoners  at  once  ceased.  New  and 
intricate  questions,  including  the  exchange  of  negro 
soldiers,  and  their  white  officers,  were  from  time 
to  time  brought  up  for  negotiation.  The  length  of 
time  thus  consumed  is  well  known;  days,  weeks  and 
months  passed  wearily  and  tediously  away,  but  brought 
us  no  relief. 

In  the  meantime  the  Libby  was  becoming  daily  more 


46  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

populous;  prisoners  were  being  brought  in  from  every 
section — reverses  seemed  to  be  overtaking  our  arms  in 
every  quarter — rebel  cannon  were  planted  in  sight  of 
the  dome  of  our  National  Capitol;  the  columns  of  Lee 
were  rapidly  penetrating  the  great  State  of  Pennsyl 
vania;  Vicksburg  seemed  impregnable  to  all  the  force 
'that  could  be  brought  against  it,  and  defiant  of  all  the 
skill  that  military  science  could  devise;  Rosecrans  ap 
peared  to  be  unable  to  move  his  army,  Bragg  still 
maintaining  a  strong  position  in  his  front,  occupying 
nearly  as  much  of  the  territory  of  Tennessee  as  before 
the  hard  fought  battle  of  Murfreesboro'.  General 
Morgan  had  crossed  the  Ohio  river  with  a  large  cavalry 
force,  and  was  spreading  devastation  and  ruin  through 
the  States  of  Indiana  and  Ohio,  marching  his  column 
almost  in  sight  of  our  great  Western  Metropolis,  the 
beautiful  city  of  Cincinnati.  Rebellion,  for  the  time, 
seemed  to  triumph  over  every  obstacle.  Thus  to  the 
deprivations,  inhuman  treatment,  and  indignities  to 
which  we  were  subjected,  as  prisoners  of  a  semi-bar 
barous  foe,  was  added  torturing  anxiety  for  the  fate  of 
our  country,  and  the  honor  of  the  old  flag,  whose  folds 
we  had  flung  to  the  breeze  on  many  bloody  fields. 

But,  thank  God!  the  dark  clouds  then  lowering  over 
our  entire  country,  ready  to  burst  forth  in  their  terri 
ble  fury,  and  destroy  at  once  the  noble  fabric  of  Con 
stitutional  liberty,  only  aroused  the  patriot  hearts  of 
our  country's  sons  to  a  full  realization  of  the  dangers 
of  the  approaching  storm ;  and  the  heights  of  Gettys 
burg  attest  how  well  and  nobly  they  met  its  first  and 
most  terrific  outbreak. 

Since  then  the  sun  of  freedom,  like  the  orb  of  day 
after  a  summer's  shower,  has  shone  brighter  and 
clearer.  Victory  has  crowned  our  arms  on  almost 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  47 

every  field.  And  now,  not  an  armed  body  of  rebels 
can  be  found  in  any  State  of  the  Union.  E"or  does  a 
single  Union  soldier  longer  remain  in  the  rebel  prisons 
of  the  South. 

LIBBY  PRISON. 

\ 

Libby  Prison,  the  noted  bastile  of  the  short-lived 
military  despotism  of  Jeff  Davis,  is  situated  on  the 
south-east  corner  of  Carey  and  Eighteenth  streets.  It 
stands  within  a  few  yards  of  the  Lynchburg  canal,  and 
in  full  view  of  the  rapid  waters  of  the  James.  The 
building  is  three  stories  high,  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  feet  front,  and  one  hundred  and  five  feet  deep. 
The  ground  floor  is  separated  into  several  apart 
ments,  in  one  of  which  is  the  prisoners'  hospital;  the 
others  are  used  by  the  rebel  Commissary  Department, 
and  as  offices  for  the  officials  connected  with  the  prison. 
The  second  and  third  floors  were  each  divided  into 
three  rooms,  one  hundred  and  five  feet  long  by  forty- 
five  feet  wide.  At  each  end  of  these  rooms  are  five 
windows,  grated  with  substantial  wrought  iron  bars, 
one  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter.  These,  although 
they  answered  very  well  to  keep  us  in,  did  not  keep 
out  the  chilling  blast  of  winter. 

In  the  narrow  limits  of  these  six  rooms  were  con 
fined  for  many  months  nearly  eleven  hundred  United 
States  officers,  prisoners  of  war.  This  included  all 
our  room  for  cooking,  eating,  washing,  bathing  anc1 
sleeping. 

UNION  LADIES   INSULTED. 

The  23rd  day  of  June  the  officers  of  General  Milroy'i 


48 

command,  captured  at  Winchester,  arrived  at  Libby. 
The  wives  of  a  number  of  these  officers  were  with  their 
husbands  at  the  above  place  at  the  time  of  their  cap 
ture.  The  ladies  desired  to  go  home,  and  begged  per 
mission  of  the  rebel  authorities  to  do  so,  but  the  privi 
lege  was  not  granted;  and  they  were  ruthlessly  dragged 
fcy  the  rebel  soldiery,  by  order  of  General  Ewell,  to  the 
city  of  Eichmond,  and  cast  into  a  filthy  military  prison, 
where  they  were  the  victims  of  the  grossest  insults  and 
abuses  from  the  rebel  officials  having  them  in  charge. 

The  Richmond  Examiner,  a  paper  that  howled  louder 
than  any  other  in  the  South,  in  condemnation  of  Gen 
eral  Butler's  order  in  regard  to  the  women  of  New 
Orleans,  the  next  morning  after  their  arrival  at  Rich 
mond,  contained  the  following  article: 

"A  PRECIOUS  GANG. — There  arrived  on  yesterday  a 
gang  of  depraved  women  from  Winchester,  where  they 
had  been  established  by  Milroy  and  his  command,  to 
render  more  complete  the  unlicensed  character  of  the 
military  government  they  had  established  in  that  un 
fortunate  place.  They  numbered  eighteen  in  all. 
They  have  been  furnished  with  appropriate  quarters 
in  the  Eastern  District  Military  Prison." 

Chivalric  editor,  while  perusing  these  lines  did  no 
blush  of  shame  tingle  your  cheek?  Did  no  thought 
arise  in  your  mind  of  a  wife,  mother  or  sister,  that 
might  some  time  be  unprotected,  and  subject  to  the 
insults  of  some  dastardly  villain  of  your  own  stamp? 
!N"oble  editor!  you  should  indeed  boast  of  the  "high- 
toned,  courteous,  chivalrous  and  gallant  gentlemen  of 
the  South." 

FOURTH   OF   JULY  IN  LIBBY. 

For  some  days  previous  to  the  anniversary  of  our 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  49 

National  Independence,  the  prisoners  confined  in  Libby 
were  actively  engaged  in  preparations  for  a  grand  cel 
ebration  on  that  day.  Although  we  might  celebrate 
St.  Patrick's  day  or  Christmas  without  a  flag,  we  could 
not  think  of  a  jubilee  on  the  Fourth  of  July  without 
the  stars  and  stripes.  But  how  to  get  them  seemed  to 
be  a  question  which  no  one  could  solve.  At  length  a 
meeting  was  called  to  take  the  matter  into  considera 
tion.  The  patriotic  and  zealous  promptly  assembled, 
suggestions  and  plans  were  advanced  and  canvassed, 
but  all  seemed  impracticable.  At  length  a  Connecticut 
officer  of  a  fertile  brain,  observing  that  some  of  the 
prisoners  wore  red  flannel,  and  others  what  had  once 
been  white  cotton,  or  linen,  proposed  that  each  offi 
cer  contribute  a  stripe  from  the  lower  extremity  of 
his  shirt.  An  ensign  of  the  navy  was  also  required  to 
furnish  from  the  same  garment  a  square  for  the  blue 
field.  The  proposition  was  acceded  to  with  shouts  and 
cheers.  Those  that  were  not  called  on  to  contribute 
material  were  selected  as  the  manufacturers.  By  the 
fourth  we  had  a  respectable  looking  flag,  and  were 
prouder  of  it  than  if  it  had  been  made  anywhere  else, 
or  under  any  other  circumstances,  of  the  finest  silk. 
But  alas!  poor  flag,  like  your  creators,  you  were 
doomed  to  be  captured! 

Our  celebration  exercises  commenced.  Our  flag, 
which  until  now  had  been  closely  concealed  from  the 
eyes  of  rebel  officials,  was  brought  to  light,  and  amid 
cheers  and  loud  huzzas,  suspended  from  one  of  the 
beams  in  the  "Upper  West  Room."  The  proper  offi 
cers  were  nominated.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Irvine 
made  a  few  patriotic  remarks,  appropriate  for  the 
occasion.  Col.  Streight  then  took  the  stand  be 
neath  our  flag,  and  was  proceeding  to  address  us, 
(4) 


50  THE    PRISONER   OF   WAR. 

when  we  were  interrupted  by  the  appearance  of 
one  of  the  prison  officials,  inquiring  what  we  were  at. 
His  eye  soon  caught  sight  of  our  stars  and  stripes; 
he  at  once  divined  the  object  of  the  assemblage,  and 
rudely  ordered  us  to  take  that  "hateful  rag"  down, 
informing  us  at  the  same  time  that  Fourth  of  July 
elebrations  were  not  tolerated  in  the  land  of  "Dixie." 
No  one  seemed  inclined  to  obey  his  order  in  regard  to 
taking  down  the  flag,  and  he  was  permitted  to  perform 
the  gallant  act  himself. 

Major  T.  P.  Turner  considered  it  quite  a  trophy,  and 
was  anxious  to  know  how  we  got  it  in  prison.  He 
afterwards  informed  one  of  our  officers  that  he  was 
going  to  present  it  to  one  of  his  lady  friends,  as  a  relic 
of  the  war,  and  would  like  to  have  its  full  history. 

Thus  ended  our  Fourth  of  July  celebration  in  Libby. 
From  which  it  will  be  seen  that  Southern  people  are 
so  thoroughly  imbued  with  hatred  for  the  Government 
of  the  United  States,  and  everything  pertaining  thereto, 
that  they  sacrilegiously  curse  the  day  held  sacred  by 
every  American  citizen. 


CHAPTEE  IV. 


INCREASING  BARBARITIES. 

As  the  number  of  prisoners  increased  in  Libby,  our 
rations  decreased  in  quantity,  and  deteriorated  in  qual 
ity,  until  the  amount  furnished  us  by  the  rebel  com 
missariat  was  not  actually  sufficient  to  sustain  life  and 
health. 

The  continued  and  increasing  indignities  to  which 
we  were  subjected,  the  insufficient  amount  of  food  fur 
nished  us,  and  the  general  inhuman  treatment  we  re 
ceived  at  the  hands  of  those  having  us  in  charge,  were 
acts  so  inhuman  and  unparralleled  in  the  history  of 
civilized  warfare,  that  it  was  thought  impossible  that 
our  condition  was  known  to  those  chief  in  authority. 
Colonel  Streight,  therefore,  on  behalf  of  himself  and 
fellow  prisoners,  addressed  the  following  most  bold 
and  scathing  letter  to  the  rebel  Secretary  of  War,  de 
manding  of  that  functionary,  for  himself  and  fellow 
prisoners,  such  treatment  as  the  usages  of  civilized 
warfare  accords  to  prisoners  of  war : 

LIBBY  PRISON,  RICHMOND,  YA., 

August  31st,  1863. 
HON.  JAMES  A.  SEDDON, 

Secretary  of  War: 
SIR: — I  take  the  liberty  of  addressing  you  on  behalf 


52  THE   PRISONER  OF   WAR, 

of  myself  and  fellow  prisoners,  in  relation  to  our  situa 
tion. 

About  six  hundred  of  as  are  confined  here,  with  an 
average  space  of  about  twenty-eight  square  feet  each, 
which  includes  our  room  for  cooking,  eating,  washing, 
bathing,  and  sleeping.  Our  rations  consist,  as  nearly 
as  I  can  judge  as  to  quantity,  of  about  one-fourth 
pound  of  poor  fresh  beef,  one-half  pound  of  bread,  and 
one-half  gill  of  rice  or  black  peas,  for  each  man  per 
day.  This  amount  has  been  found  insufficient  to  sus 
tain  life  and  health  in  our  close  prison  confinement. 

Scorbutic  diseases  have  already  appeared,  proving 
fatal  in  one  instance,  (Major  Morris,)  and  impairing 
seriously,  if  not  permanently,  the  health  of  many 
others. 

Our  sanitary  condition  would  have  been  much  worse 
than  it  now  is,  but  for  the  large  purchases  of  vegeta 
bles  and  other  provisions,  amounting  to  nearly  one 
thousand  dollars  per  day,  which  we  have  been  allowed 
to  make.  But  as  nearly  all  our  money  was  taken  from 
us  when  we  entered  the  prison,  the  daily  expenditure 
of  this  large  sum  has  at  length  about  exhausted  what 
was  left  us.  We  have  also  been  notified  that  we  would 
not  be  allowed  to  receive  any  portion  of  the  money 
taken  from  us  here,  nor  to  receive  such  sums  as  have  been 
sent  to  us  from  hom.e  since  our  imprisonment;  though 
before  writing  for  these  monies,  we  were  expressly  as 
sured  by  your  officers  having  us  in  charge  that  we 
would  be  allowed  to  receive  them. 

It  will  be  perceived  from  the  above  statement,  that 
our  immediate  prospective  condition  is,  to  say  the  least, 
that  of  semi-starvation.  The  rations  furnished  by  your 
Government,  may  be  as  good,  and  as  much  as  it  can 
afford  under  the  circumstances,  but  in  that  case  it  does 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  53 

seem  that  we  should  be  allowed  to  purchase  the  neces 
sary  amount  to  sustain  us.  It  can  not  possibly  be  that 
it  is  intended  to  reduce  to  a  famishing  condition  six 
hundred  prisoners  of  war.  Humanity  can  not  contem 
plate  such  a  thing  without  feelings  of  the  deepest  hor 
ror.  Saying  nothing  of  our  rights  as  prisoners  of  war, 
even  criminals,  guilty  of  the  blackest  crimes,  are  not, 
among  civilized  people,  confined  for  any  length  of  time 
on  insufficient  food. 

I  wish  further  to  state  to  you,  that  previous  to  my 
surrender,  I  made  a  stipulation  with  General  Forrest, 
to  whom  I  surrendered,  that  all  private  property,  in 
cluding  money,  belonging  to  my  officers  and  men, 
should  be  respected.  This  stipulation,  in  the  hand 
writing  of  General  Forrest,  over  his  own  signature,  is 
now  in  the  hands  of  General  Winder,  having  been 
taken  from  me  here.  Notwithstanding  this,  my  offi 
cers  (ninety-five  in  number)  have  been  notified  with 
the  balance,  that  their  money  has  been  turned  over  to 
Confederate  authorities. 

For  the  purpose  of  avoiding  further  loss  of  money, 
or  misunderstanding,  and  if  possible  to  obtain  relief 
from  the  unhappy  situation  in  which  we  are  placed, 
you  are  most  respectfully  requested  to  state  in  your  an 
swer  to  this  communication,  the  manner  in  which  we 
will  be  allowed  to  obtain  the  necessary  food  and  cloth 
ing  to  render  us  comfortable. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Sir, 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

A.  D.  STREIGHT, 
Colonel  of  Fifty-First  Indiana  Volunteers. 

PERFIDY  OP   UNION   OFFICERS. 

The  above  secured  to  us,  for  a  short  time,  an  in- 


54 

creased  amount  of  rations,  and  mitigated,  in  a  great  de 
gree,  the  barbarous  treatment  and  indignities  to  which, 
we  had  hitherto  been  subject. 

Among  the  six  hundred  Union  officers  confined  at 
this  time  in  Libby,  there  were  a  few  who  seemed  to  be 
in  the  wrong  army.  They  were,  at  all  times,  and  in 
every  conceivable  manner,  courting  the  favor  of  the 
rebel  authorities,  and  allowed  their  evil  passions  to 
carry  them  so  far  that  they  got  up  a  counter  statement 
to  the  above  communication  of  Colonel  Streight's  for 
which  they  were  granted  many  privileges  and  favors 
not  enjoyed  by  the  other  prisoners  of  war. 

In  their  statements  of  the  rations  furnished,  they 
make  out  a  bill  of  fare  nearly  as  varied  as  would  be 
found  at  a  first-class  hotel. 

They  succeeded  in  inducing  the  two  officers  acting 
as  commissaries  for  their  fellow-prisoners,  to  make  these 
vouchers  of  kind  treatment  and  bounteous  fare ;  there 
fore,  under  the  circumstances  which  it  was  done,  they 
received  no  part  of  the  condemnation  attached  to  the 
names  of  the  two  officers  of  high  rank  who  drew  up 
and  indorsed  the  statements,  consequently  their  names 
are  not  given  in  connection  with  the  communications 
which  appear  below. 

LIBBY  PRISON,  FIRST  OFFICERS'  QUARTERS, 

April  ISth,  1863. 

CAPTAIN  :  Having  learned  that  a  communication  has 
been  sent  to  the  Secretary  of  War  by  Colonel  Streight, 
of  the  Fifty-First  Indiana  Volunteers,  U.  S.  A.,  com 
plaining  of  the  quantity  of  food  furnished  to  the  occu 
pants  of  this  floor  of  the  Libby  Prison,  I  wish  to  make 
the  following  statement,  in  pure  justice  to  you  and 
your  commissary  W.  Burnham,  whose  efforts  in  our 


AND  HOW  TREATED.  55 

behalf  deserves  our  gratitude  and  thanks,  also  to  re 
lieve  any  impressions  on  your  mind  that  I  or  the  mass 
of  my  fellow-prisoners  participate  in  the  feeling  of  dis 
satisfaction  and  complaint  evinced  in  the  communica 
tion  above  referred  to — Colonel  Streight  being  resident 
on  this  floor.  For  the  last  three  days  I  have  witnessed 
the  weighing  of  159  pounds  of  beef  and  236  pounds  of 
bread  each  day ;  also  rations  of  vinegar,  soap,  rice  or 
beans.  Our  number  is  two  hundred  and  ninety-nine, 
making  the  ration  of  beef  one-half  pound,  and  bread 
one  pound  and  two  ounces  to  each  man.  In  my  knowl 
edge,  about  the  same  quantity  and  quality  of  food  has 
been  dispensed  to  us  for  the  last  two  months.  In  con 
clusion,  permit  me  to  bear  testimony  of  the  kind  and 
courteous  treatment  that  we  have  received  at  the  hands 
of  the  officers  connected  with  the  prison. 

[Signed]  ******** 

To  CAPTAIN  J.  WARNER, 
A.  Q.  M.  C.  S.  Military  Prison. 

LIBBY  PRISON,  SECOND  OFFICERS'  QUARTERS, 

September  ISth,  1863. 

CAPTAIN  :  At  the  request  of  your  urbane  and  atten 
tive  commissary  W.  Burnham,  I  cheerfully  make  the 
following  statement:  The  number  of  prisoners  occu 
pying  this  floor,  is  two  hundred  and  fifty-four ;  there 
has  been  issued  to  us  127  pounds  of  beef  and  285 
pounds  of  bread,  which  has  all  been  weighed  in  my 
presence,  being  an  allowance  of  one-half  pound  beef 
and  one  pound  and  two  ounces  of  bread  to  each  maL-, 
also  rations  of  vinegar,  candles,  soap,  salt,  rice  and 
beans.  These  articles  are  of  good  quality,  and  to  the 
best  of  my  belief  about  the  same  quantity  and  quality 
as  we  aave  been  receiving  for  the  last  two  months. 


56  THE    PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

I  will  also  here  state,  that  my  knowledge  of  the  feel 
ings  of  my  fellow-prisoners,  warrants  me  in  saying  that 
a  general  sentiment  of  satisfaction  is  entertained  to 
wards  all  the  officers  connected  with  the  prison. 

[Signed]  **###*# 

CAPTAIN  J.  WARNER, 
A.  Q.  M.  C.  S.  Military  Prison. 

Accompanying  the  above  certificate  was  the  follow 
ing  indorsement : 

LIBBY  PRISON,  RICHMOND,  VA., 

September  ISth,  1863. 

We  fully  indorse  the  within,  trusting  it  may  correct 
a  statement  which  is  false  and  unjust,  emanating  from 
one  of  the  inmates  of  this  prison.  But,  in  doing  so,  we 
wish  only  to  speak  for  ourselves  individually,  without 
referring  to  the  sentiments  of  any  other  officer. 
[Signed] 

JAMES  M.  SANDERSON, 
Lt.  Col.  and  Com.  Sub.  of  First  Corps. 

CHAS.  W.  TILDES, 
Colonel  of  Sixteenth  Maine  Volunteers. 

INDIGNATION   OF   THE   PRISONERS. 

This  flunkeyism  and  usurpation  of  authority  on  the 
part  of  these  offiers,  created  in  all  the  other  prisoners 
confined  in  Libby,  a  feeling  of  the  greatest  indignity. 

For  the  rations  furnished  us  were  of  no  better  qual 
ity,  nor  more  in  quantity,  than  set  forth  in  the  commu 
nication  of  Colonel  Streight.  Moreover,  it  was  a  noto 
rious  fact,  that  all  of  these  officers  daily  made  large 
purchases  of  fresh  meats  and  vegetables — a  strange 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  57 

phenomenon — when  the  rebel  commissariat  furnished 
them  with  such  an  extensive  and  varied  bill  of  fare. 

A  meeting  of  the  prisoners  was  called  to  express  their 
sentiments  in  regard  to  these  false  and  malignant  state 
ments. 

The  following  resolutions  were  offered  and  unani 
mously  adopted : 

Resolved  1.  That  the  written  statement  addressed 
to  Captain  J.  Warner,  Commissary  of  Subsistence  of 
C.  S.  A.,  indorsed  and  vouched  for  by  Colonel  Charles 
W.  Tilden,  Sixteenth  Maine  Volunteers,  and  Lieuten 
ant  Colonel  James  M.  Sanderson,  Commissary  of  Sub 
sistence  of  First  Army  Corps  U.  S.  A.,  in  reference  to 
the  treatment  and  sentiments  of  the  officers  confined 
here,  is,  in  every  essential  particular,  a  gross  misrepre 
sentation  of  facts,  and  in  its  reasonable  inferences  un 
qualifiedly  false. 

Resolved  2.  That  said  statement  is  directly  calcu 
lated  to  stifle  the  voice  of  our  reasonable  complaints  as 
truthfully  set  forth  in  the  communication  of  Colonel 
A.  D.  Streight,  which  they  stigmatize  as  unjust  and 
untrue,  to  mislead  and  deceive  our  commissioner  for 
exchange  of  prisoners,  and  our  Government. 

Resolved  3.  That  in  lieu  of  the  cruel  and  inhuman 
treatment  of  the  enlisted  men  of  our  army  by  the  Con 
federate  authorities,  which  daily  comes  under  our  no 
tice,  not  to  speak  of  the  indignities  and  deprivations  to 
which  our  officers  have  been  subjected,  the  action  of 
those  officers,  whose  names  are  attached  to  the  com 
munication  referred  to  in  the  first,  meets  our  unquali 
fied  condemnation. 

Resolved  4.  That  our  thanks  are  due  to  Colonel 
Streight  for  his  fearless  and  unselfish  efforts  to  secure 
for  us  additional  accommodations  from  our  enemies ; 


. 


58  THE   PRISONER  OP  WAR, 

and  that  an  increased  amount  of  rations  are  some  of 
the  fruits  of  his  labors ;  and  that  the  course  he  has  pur 
sued,  in  relation  to  our  condition,  meets  with  our  hearty 
approval. 

STARVED   TO   DEATH. 

During  the  first  months  of  our  confinement  in  Libby, 
one  of  the  rooms  below  the  officers'  quarters,  was  used 
as  a  prison  for  our  enlisted  men.  These  poor  fellows, 
even  when  they  had  money,  were  not  allowed  to  pur 
chase  anything  whatever,  but  were  confined  exclusively 
to  rations  issued  them  by  the  rebels,  which,  at  that 
time,  consisted  of  a  small  slice  of  bread  and  about  a 
pint  of  broth,  in  which  rusty,  decayed  and  spoiled  ba 
con  had  been  boiled,  thickened  sometimes  with  a  small 
quantity  of  rice  or  beans,  twice  each  day,  and  this  is  all. 

I  have  witnessed  the  issue  of  those  articles  to  our 
men,  perhaps,  a  hundred  times,  and  solemnly  affirm 
that  I  never  seen  any  variation  in  the  quantity  or  qual 
ity  above  stated.  The  soup  was  brought  in  to  the  pris 
oners  in  wooden  buckets,  and  I  have  frequently  noticed 
it  when  the  top  was  covered  with  white  maggots 
that  the  process  of  cooking  had  forced  from  the  meat 
and  beans.  These  the  prisoners,  when  not  too  hungry 
to  wait  for  their  respective  allowance,  would  skim  oft 
with  an  old  tin  cup,  or  wooden  spoon  of  their  own  man 
ufacture,  for,  be  it  remembered,  that  they  were  robbed 
of  knives,  forks,  spoons,  plates  and  cups,  as  well  as  of 
their  blankets,  clothing,  hats  and  boots. 

The  most  of  the  time,  the  men  above  referred  to, 
were  confined  in  Libby,  we  were  allowed  to  send  out 
and  make  a  few  purchases  of  bread,  meat  and  vegeta 
bles  ;  so,  that  some  days,  we  would  have  a  few  crusts 


AND  HOW  TREATED.  59 

of  the  bread  issued  to  us  by  the  rebels  left  after  our 
evening  meal.  These  were  carefully  collected  for  our 
men  in  the  room  below,  and  were  dropped  down  to 
them  through  a  crack  in  the  floor.  I  have,  sometimes, 
went  there  with  a  few  crusts  of  stale  bread,  and,  per 
haps,  with  a  few  bones,  upon  which  there  still  remained 
a  little  blue  beef.  At  such  times  I  have  found  as  many 
as  could  possibly  crowd  around  the  hole,  standing  on 
tip-toe,  their  long  bony,  skeleton-like  arms  outstretched, 
ready  to  grasp  in  their  fleshless  fingers  any  morsel  of 
food,  no  matter  how  unpalatable,  that  we  could  spare 
them.  One  of  my  friends  confined  in  this  room,  at  this 
time,  says  that  one  evening  two  of  the  prisoners  were 
taken  down  to  the  hospital,  and  died  before  the  next 
morning — died  of  utter  starvation ! 

ESCAPE   OF   A  DEAD   YANKEE. 

It  has  often  been  remarked,  that  Yankee  prisoners 
of  war,  think  of  nothing  through  the  day,  nor  dream 
of  ought  in  their  sleep,  but  exchange  and  escape.  The 
following  incident  would  seem  to  prove  that  the  same 
hallucination  is  still  with  them  when  dead. 

Some  time  in  October,  a  'cute  Yankee  on  Belle  Isle, 
managed  to  get  to  the  hospital  before  the  usual  time 
prescribed  by  the  rebels  for  taking  sick  prisoners  to 
that  institution  for  medical  treatment,  that  is,  a  few 
hours  before  the  rebel  surgeon,  who  examines  them, 
thinks  they  will  die.  Though  hundreds  of  our  poor 
fellows  on  Belle  Isle,  in  the  winter  of  1863-'64,  «  shuffled 
off  this  mortal  coil,"  before  they  were  ever  removed 
from  the  excavations  made  in  the  sand  to  protect  them 
from  the  chilling  blasts  of  a  Virginia  winter. 

This  soldier,  that  so  fortunately  got  to  the  hospital, 


60  THE   PRISONER  OF  WAR. 

pretended  to  be  sick — very  sick — and  assured  the  nurse 
one  evening,  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  live  until 
morning.  At  length,  a  la  Forrest,  he  commenced  coun 
terfeiting  the  agonies  of  death.  So  little  attention  was 
given  the  patients  by  the  rebel  surgeon  in  charge,  that 
no  one  knew  the  real  condition  of  the  man.  The  nurse 
supposed  him  dying.  Finally,  he  gave  a  long,  difficult 
drawn  gasp,  stretched  his  limbs  and  seemingly  ceased 
to  breathe.  Some  of  the  negro  attendants  connected 
with  the  prison,  were  ordered  to  carry  him  to  the  dead 
house,  and  soon  the  carcass  of  this  live  Yankee  was  de 
posited  by  the  side  of  a  dead  comrade  lying  there,  wait 
ing  the  morrow  to  be  carted  off,  and  without  winding- 
sheet  or  coffin  interred  in  an  unknown  grave.  As  our 
hero  did  not.  wish  this  ceremony  performed  for  him 
just  at  this  time,  he  quietly  took  his  departure  from 
the  house  of  the  dead,  and  in  one  week  afterwards  was 
inside  the  Union  lines. 


CHAPTER  V. 


BELLE   ISLE. 


Through  the  winter  of  1863-'64,  some  thousands 
of  our  men  were  quartered,  or  rather  turned  loose 
without  quarters,  inside  of  a  guard  line,  on  this  Island, 
a  barren,  sandy  tract  of  land  several  acres  in  extent, 
situated  in  the  James  river  opposite  Richmond. 

The  prisoners  on  Belle  Isle  had  neither  barracks, 
tents,  or  shelter  of  any  kind  furnished  them,  until 
about  mid-winter,  when  a  few  old  worthless  tents,  too 
ragged  and  torn  to  keep  out  either  wind,  rain  or  snow, 
perhaps  enough  to  accommodate  one-fifth  of  the  men, 
was  given  them.  In  the  meantime,  however,  they  had 
made  excavations  in  the  sand,  with  pieces  of  bone, 
sticks  of  wood,  and  in  many  instances  with  their  fingers 
alone,  as  no  tools  or  material  to  construct  a  shelter 
were  allowed  them,  nor  any  means  of  living  as  civil 
ized  men,  nor  way  of  helping  themselves  as  savages. 
Their  rations  were  at  all  times  insufficient,  and  fre 
quently  so  foul  that  starvation  itself  could  not  swallow 
them. 

Into  these  pits  made  in  the  sand,  our  prisoners  would 
huddle  like  swine  in  a  bed  of  saw-dust.  Lost  to  all 
sense  of  cleanliness,  their  energies  wasted,  hope  fled, 
their  minds  demented,  they  would,  during  the  most 

(61) 


62  THE   PRISONER  OP  WAR, 

inclement  weather,  lay  here  for  days  together,  until 
the  calcined  sand  worked  into  their  skin,  producing 
most  frightful  consequences,  scores  and  hundreds  dying 
from  this  cause  alone. 

The  barbarity  with  which  these  men  were  treated 
would  disgrace  the  wild  Arab  of  the  Sahara.  No 
I  ooner  were  our  men  made  prisoners,  than  they  were 
robbed  of  their  blankets,  overcoats  and  money.  Many 
of  them  were  robbed  of  their  hats,  shoes,  coats  and 
pantaloons,  and  arrived  at  Richmond  with  but  their 
shirts  and  drawers  to  cover  their  nakedness.  Terrible 
as  were  their  sufferings,  on  account  of  being  thus 
robbed  of  their  clothing,  even  in  the  most  inclement 
season  of  the  year,  they  are  as  nothing  when  compared 
with  the  misery  occasioned  for  want  of  food. 

About  the  middle  of  October,  a  quantity  of  clothing 
was  sent  by  the  Government  to  the  prisoners  on  Belle 
Isle.  General  Dow,  then  a  prisoner  in  Libby,  got  per 
mission  from  the  rebel  authorities  to  go  over  to  the 
Island  and  distribute  it  among  the  most  needy.  But 
in  a  state  of  nudity  as  they  were,  with  idiotic  and 
childish  impatience,  they  begged  of  him  to  bring  them 
something  to  eat,  saying  much  as  they  needed  clothing 
they  were  suffering  more  for  want  of  food. 

These  facts  seem  incredible.  Will  it,  then,  be  believed 
that  they  caught  and  eat  dogs?  The  editor  of  the 
Richmond  Examiner  not  wishing  to  acknowledge  that 
the  Southern  people  were  barbarous  enough  to  reduce 
their  fellow  beings  to  such  an  extremity,  tries  to  quiet 
a  guilty  conscience  in  the  following  manner.  I  quote 
from  the  Examiner  of  January  21st,  1864. 

"WARNING  TO  DOGS. — According  to  the  statement 
of 'A  Citizen/  who  writes  us  on  the  subject,  Belle  Isle, 
the  depot  of  the  Yankee  prisoners  in  Richmond,  is  un- 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  63 

healthy  for  dogs — especially  well-conditioned  dogs. 
'The  Yankees  eat  them,' and  this  our  correspondent 
knows  from  facts  that  have  come  within  his  knowledge. 
Several  gentlemen  on  that  'lone  barren  isle'  have  lost, 
recently,  their  favorite  heel-companions,  and  our  cor 
respondent  affirms  that  it  is  well  known  to  the  guard 
that  the  Yankees  caught,  fricasseed  and  eat  them !  And 
that,  moreover,  the  Yankees  have  begged  some  citizens 
to 'let  them  have  their  dogs  to  eat.'  Horrible!  We 
are  advised,  if  we  doubt  the  statement  of  our  corres 
pondent,  to  visit  the  island  and  take  a  dog  along,  and 
we  will  come  away  alone  and  convinced. 

"  All  we  have  to  append  to  this  dog  story  is,  that 
we  never  did  admire  Yankee  taste  in  anything;  but  if 
they  prefer  a  steak  of  canine  meat  to  the  rations  of 
beef,  bread,  potatoes  and  soup  furnished  them  from  the 
Commissary  Department  by  the  prison  officials,  it  is  to 
their  liking,  not  ours.  Some  animals  of  a  carniverous 
nature  rather  like  the  flesh  of  another  animal  of  a  like 
nature.  In  the  above  case  it  is  'dog  eat  dog,'  per 
haps." 

THE   CHICKAMAUGA  PRISONERS. 

Our  officers  and  men  captured  at  Chickamauga,  who 
arrived  at  Richmond  ten  days  after  their  capture,  had 
received  but  twenty  hard  crackers,  a  half  a  pint  of 
corn  meal,  and  one  pound  of  bacon,  during  the  whole 
time.  And  while  some  of  the  officers  were  comfortably 
clad,  the  men  were  in  the  condition  before  described, 
in  which  prisoners  were  brought  to  Richmond.  The 
weather  was  very  chilly  during  most  of  the  time,  and 
both  officers  and  men,  when  not  on  board  the  cars, 
were  compelled  to  lie  out  in  the  open  air,  without 
blankets  and  without  fires. 


64  THE   PRISONER  OF  WAR, 

DEATH   IN   PRISON. 

The  sick  Prisoner.  It  is  impossible  to  realize  the 
misery  conveyed  by  this  expression.  Far  away  from 
home  and  the  loved  ones  there — lying  on  the  cold 
damp  ground — no  covering  but  the  canopy  of  heaven ; 
no  bedding  but  a  ragged  and  filthy  army  blanket; 
wasting  away  from  consuming  fever,  or  dying  of  star 
vation.  Oh!  how  he  longs  for  the  gentle  hand  of  a 
wife,  mother  or  sister,  to  bestow  on  his  burning  brow 
and  feverish  lips  a  draught  of  cool  water;  and  for  their 
sweet  words  of  comfort,  encouragement  and  consola 
tion.  On  the  bed  of  sickness,  no  one  watches  over  us 
with  so  much  care  as  the  wife,  mother  or  sister;  their 
words  of  kindness  and  sympathy  cheer  and  comfort  us 
through  all  affliction. 

Death  on  the  field  of  battle  has  about  it  a  heroic 
grandeur  that  absorbs  in  a  great  degree  the  thoughts 
of  home  and  friends,  and  willingly  resigns  the  soldier 
to  a  glorious  death.  But  Oh!  how  horrible  to  die  a 
prisoner,  in  the  hands  of  a  barbarous  enemy ! 

REBEL   HOSPITALS. 

The  rebel  hospitals  for  prisoners  were  more  suitable 
for  horse  stables,  or  sheep  pens,  than  places  of  habita 
tion  for  sick  and  wounded  human  beings.  In  the  hos 
pital  connected  with  Libby  Prison,  there  were  some 
rudely  constructed  "bunks,"  not  enough  to  accommo 
date  more  than  one-half  the  patients  brought  there  for 
treatment.  The  others  were  placed  in  rows  on  the 
hard  and  dirty  floor,  sometimes  without  blankets,  and 
frequently  without  any  clothing  except  their  shirts  and 
drawers. 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  65 

I  have  seen  our  men  brought  from  Belle  Isle  in  a 
dying  condition,  not  from  the  effects  of  disease,  but 
starvation.  Soon  as  they  arrived  at  the  hospital,  they 
would  eagerly  ask  if  they  would  not  get  "something 
to  eat  now,"  and  in  their  dying  moments  convulsively 
clutch  in  their  bony  fingers  a  piece  of  bread,  and  try 
to  convey  it  to  their  mouths.  I  ara  fully  convinced, 
from  personal  experience  and  observation,  that  nine- 
tenths  of  our  men  who  died  in  the  rebel  prisons  of  the 
South,  in  the  last  two  years,  were  brought  to  their 
death  by  starvation  and  exposure.  Even  in  the  hos 
pitals  they  received  no  nutritious  or  palatable  diet. 
At  the  Andersonville  prison  hospitals,  the  diet  of  the 
patients  was  corn  meal  gruel,  corn  bread,  and  occa 
sionally  a  little  boiled  rice,  served  with  salt. 

Those  that  were  fortunate  enough  to  get  to  the 
hospitals  at  all,  were  not  taken  there  until  in  a  dying 
condition.  I  have  seen  scores  of  our  men  brought  to 
the  hospital  in  Richmond,  from  Belle  Isle,  who  were 
carried  out  dead  within  an  hour  after  their  names  were 
registered. 

After  our  men  were  removed  from  Belle  Isle  to  Dan 
ville,  Virginia,  the  ravages  of  disease  was  still  more 
terrible.  I  have  no  correct  information  in  regard  to 
the  number  of  prisoners  that  died  there,  but  give  the 
following  from  the  Richmond  Dispatch  of  January 
26th,  in  reference  to  the  fatality  among  them: 

"THE  YANKEE  PRISONERS  AT  DANVILLE. — The  Dan 
ville  Register  says  the  small-pox  continues  to  spread 
among  the  Yankee  prisoners  there.  The  number  of 
cases  is  now  three  hundred.  The  virus  furnished  by 
their  own  Government  having  been  generally  adminis 
tered,  the  progress  of  the  disease  may  be  checked.  The 
fatality  amoni?  the  prisoners  from  this  and  other  mal- 
(5) 


66  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

adies  is  very  great.  Several  wagon  loads  are  hauled 
out  to  the  graveyard  every  day  from  the  general  hos 
pital,  besides  those  who  die  of  small-pox." 

THE    EXAMINER   COUNSELS    MURDER. 

In  October,  1863,  the  rebel  authorities  resolved  to 
remove  the  prisoners  from  Belle  Isle,  to  some  point 
not  so  liable  to  "Yankee  raids."  The  frequent  demon 
stration  of  Union  cavalry  up  the  peninsula,  coming 
sometimes  almost  within  sight  of  the  throne  of  Jeffer 
son  the  First,  (and  last,)  suggesting  to  the  mind  of  the 
rebel  Secretary  of  War,  the  fact,  that  Richmond  was 
not  the  safest  place  in  the  Confederacy  for  prisoners 
of  war,  and  that  "beast"  Butler  might  send  force 
enough  to  enter  Richmond  and  release  them. 

From  an  article  in  the  Examiner  of  October  30th, 
1863,  in  reference  to  the  removal  of  the  prisoners  from 
Richmond,  I  make  the  following  extract: 

"The  proper  authorities  are  debating  the  question 
of  the  removal  of  the  twelve  thousand  Yankee  prison 
ers  from  Richmond  to  some  other  point.  *  *  *  *  Dan 
ville,  or  some  location  on  the  James  River  Canal,  fire 
spoken  of.  We  are  glad  the  question  has  been  started, 
and  the  citizens  of  Richmond  will  do  all  in  their  power 
to  help  them  to  a  decision. 

"The  Yankee  Government,  under  the  laws  of  civil 
ized  warfare,  are  entitled  to  these  men,  and  if  they  will 
not  take  them,  let  them  be  put  where  cold  weather  and 
scant  fare  will  thin  them  out  in  accordance  with  the 
laws  of  nature." 

In  Courts  of  Justice  the  accessory  to  a  crjme  is  al 
ways  considered,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  guilty, 
and  frequently  the  same  punishment  awarded  that  the 


^  HOW  TREATED.  67 

principal  receives.  Yet  the  editor  of  the  sacrilegious 
sheet  containing  the  above,  Mr.  Pollard,  after  advising 
the  inhuman  murder  of  Union  prisoners  of  war,  was 
treated,  during  his  captivity  in  the  North,  with  the 
greatest  consideration  and  respect — was  finally  paroled, 
and  remained  some  time  with  his  friends  in  the  city  of 
Baltimore,  receiving  the  kindest  attention  from  Union 
citizens  (?)  of  that  place.  How  humiliating  to  the 
brave  men  (if  any  still  survive,)  whose  murder  he  ad 
vised  ! 

THE    CONTRAST. 

While  our  men  in  Southern  prisons  were  dying  from 
starvation  arid  exposure,  the  rebels  in  Northern  prisons 
fared  sumptuously  every  day;  had  good  quarters, 
plenty  of  fuel,  and  received  the  respects  and  civilities 
due  them  as  prisoners  of  war. 

At  Johnson's  Island,  where  the  rebel  officers  were 
confined,  the  prisoners  had  almost  as  many  accommo 
dations  as  at  a  first  class  hotel.  The  extract  given  be 
low  from  a  rebel  letter  shows  how  they  fare  on  that 
"bleak  wintry  Isle."  The  letter  was  written  by  a  re 
turned  rebel  surgeon  to  a  gentleman  in  Augusta, 
Georgia,  who  had  a  son  on  the  Island,  and  published 
in  the  Richmond  Enquirer,  from  which  this  extract  is 
taken. 

44  The  sleeping  accommodations  are  very  comforta 
ble,  consisting  of  a  bunk,  with  straw  bed,  and  if  the 
individual  has  no  blanket  one  is  furnished,  and  he  is 
allowed  to  buy  as  many  more  as  he  wants.  Every 
room  has  a  good  stove,  and  furnished  with  a  sufficiency 
of  wood,  which  the  prisoners  have  to  saw  for  them 
selves  after  it  is  brought  to  their  doors — by  the  way,  a 


68  THE   PKISONEK   OF   WAR, 

very  good  exercise.  The  prison  consist  of  thirteen 
large  buildings  of  wood.  The  space  of  ground  enclosed 
is  sixteen  acres,  of  which  the  prisoners  have  full  privi 
lege  to  exercise  in,  to  sing  Southern  National  songs, 
to  hurrah  for  Jeff  Davis,  and  to  play  at  ball,  or  any 
other  game  they  may  see  fit. 

"The  rations  are  exactly  the  same  as  issued  to  the 
garrison T  consisting  of  fresh  beef,  pork,  baker's  bread, 
sugar,  coffee,  beans,  hominy,  vinegar,  salt,  soap  and 
candles.  Besides  this,  up  to  the  time  I  left,  there  was 
a  sutler's  store  inside  the  enclosure,  from  which  we 
could  obtain  any  kind  of  vegetables  and  meats,  or  nick- 
nacks,  that  we  chose.  We  could  purchase  clothing  of 
any  kind,  or  anything  we  wanted.  Clothing  and  eat 
ables  of  all  kinds  were  allowed  to  be  sent  to  the  prison 
ers,  by  their  friends  in  the  North,  in  any  quantity; 
money  also  without  stint. 

"When  I  left  the  Island,  the  excitement  about  the 
release  of  the  prisoners  by  a  force  from  Canada  was  at 
its  highest  pitch,  necessarily  causing  the  garrison  to  bo 
re-inforced.  This  coming  so  suddenly,  found  the  com 
missary  stores  on  the  Island  deficient,  and  the  rations 
for  both  prisoners  and  garrison  were  somewhat  cur 
tailed.  The  sutler  was  also  sent  away  and  the  prison 
ers  still  more  restricted.  1  hope,  however,  before  this 
time,  things  are  pursuing  the  even  tenor  of  their  way, 
and  that  the  prisoners  are  enjoying  themselves  as  here 
tofore.  We  had  the  privilege  of  writing  as  many  let 
ters  as  we  chose,  and  when  we  chose,  of  course  subject 
to  certain  restrictions;  we  could  purchase  writing  ma 
terials  in  any  quantity. 

"The  officers  over  the  prisoners  have,  at  all  times, 
conducted  themselves  as  gentlemen,  and  have  been 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  69 

very  kind  and  lenient ;  nor  do  they  suffer  the  prisoners 
to  be  insulted  or  abused  in  any  way." 

If  our  Union  soldiers,  prisoners  at  the  South,  had 
received  such  kind  treatment  as  this,  the  sixteen  thou- 
eand  brave  men,  now  sleeping  beneath  the  cold  damp 
earth  in  the  vicinity  of  Andersonville,  Georgia,  would 
now  have  been  alive,  and  at  home,  to  gladden  and 
make  happy  their  wives,  mothers,  children  and  friends, 
and  ready  with  strong  arms  and  brave  hearts  to  defend 
their  country. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


WINTER   IN   LIBBY. 

% 

We  will  now  return  to  the  Libby.  We  have  been 
here,  oh!  how  many  wretched,  dreary  days!  Have 
seen  the  fields  and  forest  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
swift  waters  of  the  James  put  on  the  green  robes  of 
spring — the  sultry  summer  months  come  and  pass 
away — then  the  autumn  frosts,  robbing  the  old  trees  of 
their  green  leaves,  and  fields  and  gardens  of  their  rich 
carpeting  of  plants  and  bright  hued  flowers.  The 
beauteous  garb  in  which  the  warm  sun  of  spring  and 
summer  attired  nature,  has  faded  and  decayed.  Hoary 
headed  winter  is  upon  us,  his  chilling  blasts  whistle 
between  the  bars  of  the  grated  and  narrow  windows; 
comes  in  and  pierces  the  emaciated  forms  of  the  half 
clad  prisoners,  warning  them  that  their  own  ingenuity 
and  labor  must  be  brought  into  requisition  for  a  slight 
taste  of  comfort,  and  even  perhaps  for  the  preservation 
of  life.  The  ragged,  filthy  blankets  that  lay  untouched 
in  a  heap  in  one  corner  of  the  prison  during  the  hot 
summer  months,  when  the  inmates  sought  sleep  en 
deshabille,  on  the  hard  and  naked  floor,  now  that  we 
are  not  so  particular,  are  readily  made  use  of,  regard 
less  of  the  numerous  vermin  that  inhabit  them.  About 

(70) 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  71 

half  were  thus  supplied  with  blankets  of  the  above  de 
scription. 

About  this  time  we  were  recommended  to  send  home 
for  blankets,  clothing,  and  such  other  articles  as  we 
would  need  for  our  comfort  during  the  winter;  we 
were  assured  that  all  such  articles  would  be  promptly 
delivered  to  us  immediately  after  their  arrival.  This 
is  glorious  news!  but  will  the  rebels  keep  their  faith? 
the}r  have  made  frequent  promises  of  future  favors,  but 
these  have  been  as  often  broken;  but  hunger  and  cold 
stares  us  in  the  face,  and  we  trust  them  again.  The 
first  installments  are  at  once  delivered,  as  per  agree 
ment,  and  by  the  greatest  industry  and  ingenuity  our 
prison  abode  soon  wears,  in  a  slight  degree,  the  aspect 
of  home,  though  of  all  places  on  the  broad  earth  the 
most  unlike  that  sweet  haven  of  rest,  happiness  and 
comfort.  Our  worn  and  cast-off  clothing  is  manufac 
tured  into  curtains,  and  hung  in  the  windows;  they 
keep  out  all  of  the  light  and  some  of  the  cold  air,  but 
the  darkness  even  of  a  dungeon  was  preferable  to  the 
suffering  we  would  otherwise  have  to  endure  from  the 
effects  of  cold. 

It  must  not  be  thought,  from  this  description,  that 
the  prisoners  quietly  resigned  themselves  to  a  state  of 
somnolency,  and  stowed  their  bodies  away  like  dor 
mant  animals  until  the  coming  spring;  though  many 
nights  when  suffering  with  hunger  and  cold,  I  have 
laid  down  in  my  place  on  the  floor  and  devoutly  prayed 
that  I  might  remain  in  the  unconsciousness  of  sleep 
until  the  day  of  deliverance  from  my  wretched  condi 
tion. 

INSIDE   VIEW   OF   LIBBY. 

In  the  preceding  pages  I  have  given  a  general  de- 


72  THE    PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

scription  of  the  treatment,  rations  and  quarters  we 
received  from  the  hands  of  the  rebel  officials.  I  shall 
now  attempt  to  give,  in  detail,  an  account  of  the  daily 
round  of  duties,  occupations  and  amusements  of  the 
prisoners. 

With  the  first  gray  dawn  of  the  morning,  the  sleep 
ers  lying  on  the  floor  in  uneasy  slumbers,  side  by  side, 
and  heel  to  head,  are  aroused  to  consciousness  by  the 
stentorian  voice  of  a  certain  colored  "gentleman,"  well 
known  to  the  inmates  of  Libby  as  "Old  Ben,"  crying 
out,  "All  four  ob  de  morning  papers.  Talagraphic 
dispatches  from  ebery  whar.  Rise,  gentlemen,  and  buy 
de  morning  news.  Great  news  from  de  Rappahannock. 
Great  news  from  Charleston.  Great  news  from  de 
south-west  and  de  east-west.  Are  all  de  gemmen  'com- 
modated  with  de  morning  news?  I'se  bound  for  to 
trabel."  He  brought  copies  of  the  daily  Richmond 
papers,  each  a  small  half  sheet  of  brown,  dingy  paper, 
generally  containing  but  little  that  we  could  regard  as 
reliable.  They  usually  had  a  leading  article  filled  with 
the  most  exaggerated  statements  and  falsehoods  of 
"Yankee  barbarity,"  and  thoroughly  imbued  with  the 
most  uncompromising  hate  of  the  Union,  and  of  all 
who  remained  loyal  to  the  Government.  But  alas! 
for  poor  Ben's  career  as  a  disseminator  of  "talagraphic 
dispatches"  and  "news  from  ebery  whar,"  to  Yankee 
officers.  He  was  charged  by  the  prison  officials  with 
trading  with  us  for  "green-backs,"  and  other  disloyal 
acts,  and  at  once  prohibited  vending  "all  four  of  de 
morning  papers"  in  the  prison. 

Scarcely  would  the  strong  brazen  notes  of  "Ben" 
cease  to  resound  through  the  prison,  than  the  nasal 
twang  of  George,  one  of  the  prison  attaches,  would 
ascend  the  stairway,  ordering  us  to  fall  in  for  roll  call. 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  73 

If  any  still  lingered  in  the  embrace  of  Morpheus,  this 
was  a  sufficient  signal  for  the  immediate  expulsion  of 
that  mythological  personage,  twenty  minutes  only  be- 
ino-  allowed  after  the  musical  notes  of  the  above  voice 

D 

fell  on  the  ear  for  all  to  go  to  the  east  room;  and  woe 
to  the  unlucky  wight  who  failed  to  be  there  within  the 
time  specified,  as  he  would  be  immediately  sentenced 
by  one  of  the  prison  officials  to  stand  under  guard,  on 
the  floor  of  the  cook  room,  for  four  hours. 

After  we  had  been  crowded  and  jammed  into  the 
above  room  as  thick  as  bees  in  a  hive,  we  were  counted 
out  one  by  one.  We  had  roll  again  in  the  after 
noon;  thus  nearly  eleven  hundred  human  beings  were 
packed  twice  each  day  into  a  single  room,  where  they 
had  often  to  remain  for  an  hour  each  time,  and  breathe 
the  impure  and  unwholesome  air  thus  generated. 

PRISONERS    COOKING. 

After  morning  roll  call,  the  next  business  in  order 
for  the  now"  thoroughly  aroused  prisoners,  is  for  those 
whose  turn  it  is  to  act  as  cooks  for  their  respective 
messes,  to  commence  their  culinary  labors,  which  con 
sisted  in  boiling  a  little  rice,  which  was  served  up  with 
salt.  Then  the  rattle  of  cooking  utensils,  the  slamming 
of  stove  doors,  the  crowding  around  the  fires  of  a  hun 
dred  men,  each  with  his  tin  cup,  intent  on  preparing 
for  himself  some  extra  dish,  affords  a  lively  and  amu 
sing  scene.  Each  mess  of  twenty  enjoyed  its  privilege 
of  the  mess  kettles  and  tables  in  regular  order,  and  one 
succeeds  another  in  the  greatest  rapidity  practicable. 

After  arrangements  were  made  for  the  prisoners  to 
receive  provisions  from  the  North,  the  services  of  good 
cooks  were  in  great  demand,  and  it  was  a  frequent 


74  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

occurrence  to  see  one  of  the  fortunate  recipients  of  a 
portion  of  the  "good  things  from  home"  perambulating 
the  different  apartments  of  the  prison,  enquiring  "who 
wants  to  cook  for  my  box."  And  among  those  who 
were  living,  or  rather  starving  on  Confederate  rations, 
there  were  always  enough  who  would  willingly  become 
the  servants  of  their  brother  officers  for  the  sake  of 
something  good  to  eat.  But  when  all  became  supplied, 
these  knights  of  the  pots  and  pans  resolved  to  cook 
for  their  own  boxes;  consequently  each  officer,  Briga 
dier  as  well  as  Lieutenant,  was  at  length  compelled  to 
do  his  own  cooking.  The  avidity  with  which  they 
would  pour  over  the  household  department  of  old 
magazines  and  newspapers  in  search  of  receipts  for  pre 
paring  various  dishes,  was  no  less  astonishing  than  the 
rapidity  with  which  they  became  adepts  in  this  branch 
of  house  keeping.  Should  the  wives  of  any  have 
doubts  on  this  point,  they  have  only  to  send  them  to 
the  kitchen  to  prepare  a  breakfast  or  dinner,  and  they 
will  be  at  once  amply  convinced  of  their  proficiency  in 
the  art. 

AMUSEMENTS. 

Some  pass  the  hours  in  reading,  writing,  or  in  games, 
among  which  chess,  checkers,  and  the  various  games 
with  cards,  are  included.  Nearly  all  seem  to  find  en 
joyment  and  consolation  in  smoking,  and  a  person  of 
sensitive  olfactories  who  disliked  tobacco,  if  in  Libby, 
was  a  martyr,  with  no  possibility  of  escape.  He 
must  eat  it  in  his  rice  and  corn  bread,  and  drink  it  in 
his  coffee,  inhale  it  every  breath,  and  experience  no 
relief  till  lost  in  the  unconsciousness  which  sleep  brought 
to  his  offended  senses. 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  75 

Among  the  variety  of  pursuits  and  amusements, 
music  claims  no  small  share  of  attention,  and  groups 
may  here  and  there  be  found,  intent  upon  rendering, 
in  most  melodious  accents,  the  choicest  selections  from 
Mozart,  Handel,  and  other  masters  of  sacred  song.  In 
other  places,  proficients  upon  the  violin  discourse 
Ethiopian  melodies,  to  which  some  charmed  listeners 
are  keeping  time,  giving  most  lively  motion  to  their 
pedal  extremities.  Others  are  busily  engaged  in  man 
ufacturing  ornaments  from  the  bones  of  the  blue  beef 

O 

that  furnished  us  food.  Many  of  these  were  specimens 
of  mechanical  skill  truly  worthy  of  admiration.  Here 
were  linger  rings  of  exquisite  workmanship ;  crosses, 
inlaid  with  hard  rubber  cut  from  the  back  of  a  pocket 
comb;  napkin  rings  wrought  with  the  most  elaborate 
designs;  miniature  toilet  tables,  &c.,  in  great  profu 
sion. 


Communicating  with  the  loved  ones  at  home  was 
our  chief  source  of  enjoyment.  A  most  happy  privi 
lege  while  it  lasted  !  But  this  simple  means  of  gratifi 
cation  was  finally,  almost  totally  denied  to  us.  And 
the  following  order,  issued  by  the  commandant  of  the 
prison,  I  give  it  verbatim  et  literatim: 

OFFICE  0.  S.  MILITARY  PRISON, 

Richmond,  Va.,  February  14*A,  1864. 
Hereafter  prisoners   wont   be  allowed   to  write   no 
letters  to  go  to  the  so  called  United  States,  of  more  than 
six  lines  in  length  and  only  one  letter  per  week. 
By  command  of 

THOS.  P.  TIJRtfEK, 

Major  C.  S.  A. 


76  THE    PRISONER    OF    WAR, 

"  Letters  from  home!"  Oh,  what  a  thrill  of  pleasure 
this  announcement  would  send  to  the  heart  of  the 
weary  prisoner!  Could  the  wives  mothers  and  sisters 
of  our  soldiers  realize  the  exstatic  joy  that  swells  the 
bosoms  of  husbands,  sons  and  brothers,  on  receipt  of 
their  tender  and  affectionate  letters — the  hope,  courage 
and  high  resolves  with  which  they  animate  them,  their 
fair  hands  would  certainly  be  more  frequently  engaged 
in  this  work  of  love.  And  ladies,  take  my  advice  — 
write  to  your  loved  ones  often  !  You  have  no  idea  of 
the  good  you  can  accomplish  in  this  way,  and  at  so 
little  expense. 

I  have  seen  men  on  the  bloody  field,  and  in  hospitals, 
their  lives  passing  fast  away  from  the  effects  of  ghastly 
wounds  or  consuming  fevers,  whose  last  lingering  gaze 
rested  fondly  on  these  missives  of  love.  Truly,  they 
brought  hope  and  consolation  in  this  most  trying  hour! 

The  affable  and  genial  Lieutenant  Knaggs  was  our 
Postmaster.  On  the  arrival  of  the  mail  he  would  se 
lect  some  elevated  spot,  or,  perhaps,  take  a  position 
astride  one  of  the  naked  beams  in  the  "upper  west 
room,"  when  he  was  immediately  surrounded  by  the 
entire  population  of  Libby,  each  one  anxiously  hoping 
that  his  name  might  be  first  called.  But  never,  at  one 
time,  were  all  supplied,  and  many,  always,  returned 
disappointed  and  gloomy  to  their  chosen  spot,  wonder 
ing  why  no  letters  from  wife  or  mother. 


Familiar  in  the  mouths  of  the  inhabitants  of  Libby 
as  "household  words."  Heard  in  the  gray  of  morn 
ing  when  the  disconsolate  crowd  of  prisoners  just  ar 
rived,  await  in  the  street  in  front  of  the  prison  the  seal- 


AND    HOW   TREATED.  77 

ing*  process,  which  always  takes  place  before  they  are 
packed  away  for  safe  keeping.  Heard,  also,  in  the  dead 
of  night,  when  the  sleepers  turn  over  in  their  blankets 
fo  curse  the  fresh  fish  for  disturbing  their  slumbers  at 
such  unseasonable  hours,  the  poor  fresh  fish  standing, 
meanwhile,  a  disconsolate  group,  wondering  why  no 
better  accommodations  have  been  made  for  their  recep 
tion;  and,  after  fruitless  conjectures,  depositing  them 
selves  on  the  bare  and  dirty  floor,  and  sink  to  sleep,  af 
ter  exhausting  their  minds  speculating  on  the  magna 
nimity  of  the  "Southern  Chivalry." 

The  cry  of  "fresh  fish"  is  a  slang  phrase,  and  never 
to  be  forgotten  by  the  unfortunate  whose  arrival  it  an 
nounces,  and  who,  should  it  be  his  fate  to  make  his  de 
but  in  Libby  when  the  inmates  are  not  asleep,  is  imme 
diately  surrounded  by  a  gaping  crowd  of  awkward  aud 
itors,  eager  to  learn  what  is  transpiring  in  the  outer 
world,  when  the  hapless  fresh  fish  have  to  answer  re 
peatedly  the  scores  of  questions  propounded  in  rapid 
succession  by  hundreds  of  old  fish;  and  one  who  could 
pass  through  the  ordeal  without  losing  his  equanimity, 
was  certainly  possessed  of  the  patience  of  Job,  and  the 
affability  of  Chesterfield. 

Among  the  leading  inquiries  made  of  the  new  ar 
rivals,  were  the  following:  "Where  were  you  cap 
tured?"  "Did  the  rebs  get  your  greenbacks?"  "How 
did  you  hide  your  watch  ?  "  "  What  does  the  Northern 
press  say  about  the  exchange?  "  Thus,  from  the  constant 
advent  of  "fresh  fish,"  and  the  occasional  receipt  of  a 
letter  six  lines  in  length  from  friends  in  the  Korth,  we 
were  kept  a  little  better  informed  in  regard  to  what  was 

*  Robbing  prisoners  of  their  blankets,  clothing  and  money. 


78  THE   PRISONER   OP   WAR, 

transpiring  outside  of  Libby,  than  if  we  had  been  res 
idents  of  Jupiter  or  the  moon. 

EXCHANGE. 

At  all  hours  of  the  day  discussions  and  speculations 
in  regard  to  the  resumption  of  the  "cartel,"  might  be 
heard  among  the  prisoners  whose  thoughts  seemed  to 
dwell  constantly  on  the  scenes  and  affections  of  home. 

Libby  was  certainly  the  most  prolific  place  in  the 
world  for  rumors,  not  even  excepting  the  most  gossip 
ing  sewing  circle  ever  established  in  a  country  village. 
Consequently  there  were  many  of  these  that  daily  went 
the  rounds  to  elate  or  depress  the  mind  of  the  prisoner, 
who,  whatever  else  he  might  do  or  think,  ceased  not  to 
long  for  the  happy  hour  which  should  place  him  again 
under  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner,"  and  return  him 
once  more  to  the  society  of  loved  ones  at  home.  Ex 
amples  of  these  ever-recurring,  hope-inspiring  and  de 
pressing  agents,  were  the  following: 

"Commissioners  of  Exchange  met  yesterday,  and  ef 
fected  a  cartel!  All  to  be  exchanged  immediately!" 

Then,  in  the  same  hour,  purporting  to  come  from 
the  same  official : 

"Commissioners  could  not  agree!  No  exchange 
probable  for  months  to  come  !  "  The  negro  question 
prevents  all  exchange  !  " 

Then  : 

"The  negro  question  has  never  been  in  issue ! " 

One  comes  directly  from  the  commandant  of  the 
prison  and  informs  us  : 

"  That  we  will  be  here  only  a  short  time  longer." 

Another  says  : 

"It  has  been  advised  from  the  same  authority  that 


AND    HOW    TREATED.  79 

we  had  better  send  home  and  get  a  supply  of  clothing 
and  provisions !  " 

And  so  wears  away  the  day,  till  at  length  the  sable 
curtains  of  night  again  cast  their  shadows  over  the 
crowded  rooms. 

NIGHT    IN   LIBBY. 

Some  of  the  most  ludicrous  incidents  in  Libby  life 
occur  after  all  its  inhabitants  have  arranged  themselves, 
each  in  his  chosen  spot  upon  the  floor,  with  his  army 
blanket  around  him.  Then  commences  a  succession  of 
conundrums,  questions  and  replies,  technically  called 
the  catechism.  This  embodied  a  general  censorship  of 
the  habits,  opinions  or  peculiarities  of  whatever  kink,- 
of  any  who  might  attract  special  attention.  And  among 
such  a  collection  of  persons,  of  such  diversity  of  opin 
ions,  and  such  a  variety  of  habits,  enough  could  always 
be  found  to  furnish  means  for  an  hour  of  uproarious 
hilarity.  Such  as  the  following  questions  would  be 
proposed  i 

"  Why  ought  the  best  of  English  poetry  to  emanate 
from  this  room?"  Because  we  have  a  Spencer  and  a 
Burns  here,  and  they  live  in  a  garret — a  poet's  usual 
abode. 

"  Who  stole  Mosley's  hash  ?  "     General  Dow. 

"  Who  offered  to  enlist  in  the  rebel  army  if  he  could 
be  released  from  prison  ?"  Goldsbdro. 

"Who  put  soap  in  the  small  mess  kettle?"     Piper. 

"Who  said  they  got  more  meat  than  they  could  eat?" 
Ely  and  Sanderson. 

"Who  sold  his  boots  to  buy  extra  mutton  chops?" 
Ely. 

"  How  does  Libby  differ  from  another  public  institu- 


80  THE    PRISONER   OF    WAR, 

tion  in  Philadelphia?"  That  is  a  Northern  home  for 
friendless  children  ;  this  is  &  friendless  home  for  North 
ern  children,  &c.,  &c. 

At  length  all  seem  satisfied,  and  sleep  and  silence — 
except  the  sub-base  of  heavy  snoring  from  many  up 
turned  noses — reigns  supreme  till  the  coming  dawn  of 
another  day.  Thus,  it  will  be  seen,  that  live  Yankees, 
even  when  prisoners  in  rebeldom,  and  subject  to  all  the 
discomforts  which  semi-barbarism  can  impose,  will  be 
Yankees  still,  and  will  find  amusement  in  the  exercise 
of  the  mental  vivacity  peculiar  to  the  race. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


ESCAPE   OF   ANDERSON  AND   SKELTON. 

We  have  been  now  eight  months  incarcerated  within 
the  gloomy  walls  of  Libby.  And  so  closely  have  we 
been  guarded,  and  so  securely  closed  and  barred  the 
doors  and  windows,  that  escape  seems  to  be  impossible, 
no  one  has  yet  attempted  it,  though  many  schemes 
have  been  proposed  and  canvassed  by  different  parties, 
but  finally  dismissed  as  impracticable.  Captain  M.  T. 
Anderson,  of  the  Fifty-First  Indiana  Volunteers,  at 
length  resolved  on  the  novel  expedient  of  feigning  sick 
ness,  and  thus  get  to  the  hospital,  so  that  he  would  havo 
an  opportunity  of  conversing  with  the  sentinels  posted 
around  that  part  of  the  building;  and,  as  he  had  still 
some  money  about  him  that  he  had  smuggled  into  the 
prison,  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  bribe  them  to  let  him 
pass  out.  The  influence  of  Uncle  Sam's  "  greenbacks  " 
over  the  rebel  guards  was  entirely  satisfactory,  and  the 
Captain  at  once  set  about  making  arrangements  for  h's 
departure  from  Libby.  The  first  thing  was  to  find, 
among  his  fellow-prisoners,  a  suitable  companion  to 
accompany  him,  one  who  would  be  willing  to  brave 
any  danger  in  order  to  gain  their  freedom.  One  to  the 
Captain's  liking  was  found  in  the  person  of  Lieuten- 
(6)  (81) 


82  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

ant  J.  F.  Skelton,  of  the  Seventeenth  Iowa  Volunteers. 
The  hospital  room  is  on  the  ground  floor  in  the  east 
end  of  the  Libby  prison.  The  cook  room  for  the  sick 
was  in  the  basement  or  cellar  immediately  under  it, 
and  from  this  they  determined  to  make  their  exit. 
There  were  four  sentinels  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Jbuilding,  and  three  on  the  east  end,  and  one  opposite 
and  directly  in  front  of  the  small  door  through  which 
they  intended  passing  out;  two  of  these  sentinels  they 
succeeded  in  bribing,  and  trusted  to  their  activity  and 
good  luck  to  evade  the  vigilance  of  the  others. 

On  the  night  of  December  llth,  all  arrangements 
being  completed,  they  commenced  putting  their  plans 
into  execution.  With  a  large  meat  cleaver,  tkey  cut 
the  bars  from  the  door  before  mentioned,  and  just  at 
the  hour  of  ten  they  swung  it  back  on  its  hinges,  and 
were  stepping  from  bondage  to  liberty,  when  the  cor 
poral  of  the  guard  was  called  by  one  of  the  sentinels* 
Hope  sank  within  them;  their  first  impression  was, 
that  the  guard  had  betrayed  them;  all  their  fond  hopes 
of  liberty  and  freedom  were  instantly  dispelled.  But 
soon  the  corporal  made  his  "  rounds,"  and  all  was 
again  quiet.  The  time  of  night  was  called  by  sentinel 
number  one,  and  passed  successively  from  right  to  left; 
the  backs  of  the  sentinels  are  now  turned  on  the  door; 
the  captain  and  his  companion  instantly  see  their  ad 
vantage,  and  quicker  than  I  can  describe  it  they  again 
swing  the  shutter  back,  jump  out  and  over  the  guard 
line,  and  are  free.  They  proceed  down  Carey  street 
towards  Rocketts,  coolly  and  slowly  as  if  traversing 
some  old  familiar  path  of  by-gone  days.  About  thirty 
minutes  walking  brought  them  to  the  outskirts  of  the 
city,  and  in  sight  of  the  forts  and  works  surrounding 
it;  knowing  that  pickets  would  be  stationed  near  by, 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  83 

they  left  the  main  road  and  entered  a  deep  ravine,  in 
which  they  remained  until  they  passed  through  the 
works  and  pickets  defending  Richmond.  They  now 
felt  that  they  had  gained  their  liberty ;  gloomy  walls 
of  a  loathsome  prison  no  longer  encompassed  them. 
Yet  it  required  patience,  toil,  and  suffering  and  caution, 
to  reach  the  Union  lines  through  an  enemies  country 
of  nearly  one  hundred  miles  in  extent,  with  every  pub 
lic  and  by-road  closely  guarded  and  patrolled.  In 
consequence  of  their  limited  knowledge  of  the  country, 
and  the  darkness  of  the  night,  which  prevented  them 
from  directing  their  course  by  a  small  compass  in  their 
possession,  they  lost  the  route,  and  wandered  round 
until  daylight,  to  find  they  were  only  five  or  six  miles 
from  the  city  of  Richmond.  To  attempt  traveling 
during  daylight  was  certain  recapture;  so  they  con 
cealed  themselves  in  some  thick  underbrush,  though 
here  they  did  not  feel  entirely  safe,  for  they  lay  within 
a  mile  of  the  rebel  camp,  Confederate  soldiers  con 
stantly  passing  back  and  forth,  and  within  a  few  yards 
of  where  the  fugitives  lay. 

Hour  after  hour  they  watched  the  road  for  some 
wandering  slave  to  pass  by,  knowing  well  that  Union 
soldiers  could  always  put  implicit  confidence  in  the 
black  man;  they  would,  therefore,  make  known  to 
him  who  they  were,  and  get  the  exact  locality  of  their 
present  position,  also  the  situation  of  the  rebel  camps 
at  Bottom's  Bridge,  across  the  Chickahominy  river. 
Late  in  the  evening  the  sound  of  a  wagon  was  heard 
coming  down  the  road;  they  cautiously  crawled  to 
within  a  few  feet  of  where  it  would  pass,  and  anxiously 
awaited  its  approach;  it  soon  came  in  sight,  and  to 
their  great  joy  they  discovered  that  the  team  was  driven 
by  a  negro;  soon  as  he  came  up  he  was  promptly  hal- 


84  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

ted,  whereupon  he  drew  up  his  mules  with  a  loud 
whoa,  but  what  was  the  surprise  of  the  fugitives  to  see 
a  white  man  jump  out  of  the  wagon.  They  had  no 
idea  of  finding  an  individual  in  this  locality  of  his  color 
that  was  a  friend;  consequently  to  deceive  him  was 
their  first  thought.  He  inquired  what  they  wanted, 
and  was  answered  that  they  were  in  search  of  a  runa 
way  slave,  that  he  had  been  tracked  to  that  neighbor 
hood  when  all  trace  of  him  was  lost.  The  explanation 
seemed  satisfactory,  and  like  a  true  Virginian  he  prom 
ised  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  intercept  the  runaway, 
and  master  and  slave,  with  the  team,  passed  on  very 
much  to  the  joy  and  delight  of  our  escaped  Yankees. 

Immediately  after  dark  they  again  started  on  their 
journey  northward,  taking  the  "Williamsburgh  pike 
towards  Bottom's  Bridge,  passing  directly  in  front  of 
the  headquarters  of  the  commanding  officer  of  the 
troops  at  that  place.  Before  reaching  the  bridge  it 
began  raining  so  furiously,  and  was  so  dark,  that  to 
proceed  further  on  the  way  was  impossible;  and  they 
again  lay  down  without  shelter,  overcoats  or  blankets, 
to  pass  away  the  long  tedious  hours  of  a  stormy  night. 
Daybreak  at  last  became  visible  in  the  east,  and  they 
determined  to  travel,  regardless  of  danger,  and  started 
in  a  north-east  course,  which  they  followed  until  they 
reached  the  middle  of  the  White  Oak  swamp;  they 
then  changed  to  an  eastern  course,  and  all  of  that  day 
(the  13th  of  December)  they  waded  often  waist  deep 
through  mud  and  water;  but  nothing  daunted  or  dis 
couraged  they  kept  on,  striving  for  liberty  and  freedom, 
willingly  periling  their  lives  to  reach  the  land  where 
the  starry  flag  is  the  emblem  of  the  free.  About  sun 
set  of  this  day  they  crossed  the  Chickahominy  on  a 
fallen  tree  which  had  blown  down,  and  fortunately 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  85 

lodged  across  the  river  just  at  the  point  where  they 
first  struck  the  banks  of  the  stream. 

Being  now  tired,  hungry,  and  footsore,  from  exces 
sive  exertion,  having  traveled  nearly  twenty  miles 
through  the  swamp,  they  again  deposited  themselves 
on  the  cold  wet  ground  for  a  few  hours  sleep  and  rest, 
but  it  was  another  fearful  stormy  night  of  wind  and 
rain,  and  sleet,  consequently  to  sleep  was  impossible, 
and  at  the  first  gray  streak  of  morning  light  they  pro 
ceeded  on  their  weary  march.  They  had  not  gone  far 
before  they  were  discovered  in  the  road  by  a  rebel  sol 
dier;  they  at  once  determined  to  defend  themselves  as 
best  they  could,  in  case  of  an  attempt  on  the  part  of 
the  scout  to  capture  them.  But  again  fortune  favored 
them,  and  the  scout  passed  by  without  speaking.  They 
now  left  all  roads,  both  highways  and  by-paths,  and 
traveled  exclusively  through  forests,  swamps  and  fields, 
and  about  ten  o'clock  they  came  in  contact  with  a 
negro  girl  in  the  woods,  gathering  up  dry  leaves  for 
bedding;  they  questioned  her  in  regard  to  roads  and 
different  localities,  but  she  could  give  them  no  infor 
mation.  When  they  informed  her  that  they  were 
Yankee  officers,  she  seemed  to  experience  the  greatest 
anxiety  for  their  safety,  and  when  they  started  off  she 
admonished  them  to  hurry,  for,  said  she,  "massa  will 
be  here  'drecly  now."  In  consequence  of  this  informa 
tion,  they  pushed  on  at  a  double  quick  for  several 
miles. 

Late  that  night  they  reached  Haw  creek,  and  after 
refreshing  themselves  with  some  corn  bread  and  bacon, 
lay  down  to  sleep  as  usual,  with  the  heavens  for  their 
only  covering,  and  mother  earth  their  bed,  but  sleepy 
and  fatigued  as  they  were  they  could  not  sleep  for  the 
extreme  pain  they  suffered  from  cold.  Early  next 


86  THE    PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

morning  they  were  again  on  the  road,  weary  and  ex 
hausted  from  loss  of  sleep,  but  still  they  bend  their 
course  northward;  they  have  suffered  too  long  in  rebel 
prisons  to  give  up  and  be  taken  back,  as  long  as  they 
could  march  even  a  single  rod  per  day.  After  proceed 
ing  about  a  mile,  they  discovered  two  horsemen  ap 
proaching;  they  quickly  concealed  themselves  in  the 
brush,  and  awaited  for  them  to  pass  by,  but  when  they 
came  within  a  short  distance  it  was  discovered  that  the 
riders  were  negroes,  which  put  the  fugitives  quite  at 
ease,  and  they  at  once  informed  the  slaves  that  they  were 
"Yankee  officers,"  trying  to  reach  the  Union  lines. 
This  was  very  much  of  a  surprise  to  the  "darkies," 
and  caused  each  of  them  to  disclose  a  huge  amount  of 
ivory;  but  their  joy  was  quickly  changed  to  fear  and 
anxiety  for  the  safety  of  their  Northern  friends,  and 
they  at  once  volunteered  to  aid  them  to  the  extent  of 
their  ability;  the  kindly  proffer  was  at  once  accepted. 

In  accordance  with  instructions  from  their  dusky 
protectors,  they  remained  concealed  in  this  vicinity 
until  night ;  one  of  the  negroes  then  came  and  piloted 
them  to  his  friend's  house,  where  they  were  furnished 
with  a  warm  meal;  the  negro,  while  they  were  eating, 
brought  a  cart,  the  bed  of  which  was  filled  with  corn 
blades,  around  to  the  door,  and  notified  them  that  all 
was  ready,  and  they  were  soon  securely  stored  away 
beneath  the  fodder,  in  this  position  they  rode  eight 
miles,  where  they  stopped  at  a  negro  hut,  the  dwelling 
of  a  friend  of  the  guide;  here  they  were  almost  com 
pelled  by  the  urgency  of  the  black  folks  to  partake  of 
another  supper.  This  was  as  far  as  prudent  to  go  with 
the  horse  and  cart,  but  the  faithful  guide  piloted  them 
on  foot  for  three  miles  further,  and  after  giving  them 
the  most  careful  directions  in  regard  to  the  roads  and 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  87 

country,  with  throbbing  heart  and  streaming  eyes  bid 
his  Yankee  friends  good-bye. 

The  escaped  prisoners  were  now  about  eleven  miles 
from  the  Union  lines,  so  with  light  hearts  they  pushed 
rapidly  on,  knowing  from  the  description  given  them 
by  the  negro,  how  to  recognize  the  country  in  the  vi 
cinity  of  the  Federal  pickets.  After  three  hours'  hard 
marching,  they  thought  it  time  to  be  near  the  boys  in 
blue.  They  advanced  but  a  few  rods  further,  when 
they  were  suddenly  ordered  to  halt,  an  order  they  very 
promptly  executed ;  by  looking  in  the  direction  from 
whence  came  the  sound  of  the  voice,  they  could  just 
see  the  figures  of  three  mounted  men  with  presented 
guns.  It  was  so  dark  that  their  uniforms  could  not  be 
distinguished,  therefore  they  could  not  discover  whether 
they  were  friends  or  foes.  u  Who  goes  there?"  was  the 
challenge  of  the  watchful  sentry,  which  was  answered 
by  "friends."  "Advance,  friends,"  was  the  next  order. 
"  To  wThom  shall  we  advance,"  was  the  reply  of  the 
careful  fugitives.  The  soldiers  on  duty  proved  to  be 
Union  pickets,  a  happy  discovery  to  Captain  Anderson 
and  his  companion.  They  were  again  beneath  the 
protecting  folds  of  the  old  flag.  Every  attention  and 
kindness  was  shown  them  by  the  officer  of  the  guard, 
and  next  morning  he  conducted  them  to  the  headquar 
ters  of  the  Post  Commandant,  who  kindly  furnished 
them  transportation  to  Fortress  Monroe,  where  they 
met  General  Butler;  he  received  them  very  cordially, 
and  made  many  inquiries  in  regard  to  the  condition  of 
our  unfortunate  prisoners  in  Richmond. 

Each  spent  a  few  weeks  at  home,  recruiting  his  health 
and  exhausted  energies  before  taking  the  field;  since 
when  they  have  zealously  endeavored  to  repay  the 
labels  for  their  kind  treatment  while  prisoners  of  war, 


88  THE   PRISONER    OF    WAR, 

THE    COUNCIL    OF    FIVE. 

In  October  a  plan  was  projected  for  a  general  out 
break  of  the  prisoners  confined  in  Libby.  The  whole 
arrangement,  and  every  thing  connected  with  it,  was 
gotten  up  on  a  well  digested  plan,  which  was  to  be 
executed  in  systematic  order.  Colonel  A.  D.  Streight, 
of  the  Fifty-First  Indiana  Volunteers,  was  chosen  to 
be  chief  in  command,  and  Colonels  Powell,  Rose  and 
Ely,  to  be  commanders  of  brigades. 

The  organization  was  known  as  the  "  Council  of 
Five,"  from  the  fact  of  the  members  being  classed  off 
in  clubs,  each  of  which  contained  that  number,  on  ac 
count  of  it  being  impossible  for  all  to  meet  together  for 
the  purpose  of  transacting  business;  for  by  so  doing, 
secrecy,  which  was  absolutely  essential  to  the  success  of 
the  undertaking,  could  not  be  maintained. 

The  objects  embraced  in  the  enterprise,  was  not  only 
to  secure  our  own  freedom,  but  after  we  had  seized  and 
overpowered  the  guard  doing  duty  at  the  prison,  to 
take  their  arms  and  march  to  the  tobacco  warehouses 
where  a  number  of  our  soldiers  were  imprisoned,  re 
lease  them  and  proceed  to  the  arsenal,  take  possession, 
and  arm  and  equip  ourselves  with  the  guns  and  accou 
trements  found  there;  then  release  all  the  prisoners 
confined  in  and  around  Richmond,  form  them  into 
companies,  regiments  and  brigades,  and,  if  possible, 
take  prisoners  Jefferson  Davis  and  his  Cabinet,  and 
other  leading  rebels  then  in  the  city,  and  then  march 
en  masse  down  the  Peninsula  until  we  should  arrive 
within  our  own  lines. 

From  a  Union  lady  with  whom  communication  was 
had,  through  a  negro,  who  was  allowed  access  to  the 
prison  for  the  purpose  of  scrubbing  the  floor  and  carry- 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  89 

ing  out  the  slops  collected  in  the  kitchen,  we  had  the 
most  correct  and  reliable  information  in  regard  to  the 
number  of  troops  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city,  the  number 
and  kind  of  arms  and  accoutrements,  and  amount  of 
ammunition  in  the  arsenal  and  other  places  in  .Rich 
mond. 

Notwithstanding  every  member  of  the  organization 
was  bound  by  the  most  solemn  oath  to  preserve  the 
strictest  secrecy,  its  existence  was  discovered  by  some 
of  the  inmates  of  the  prison,  not  connected  with  the 
enterprise,  and  who  were  more  friendly  to  rebel  offi 
cials  than  to  their  fellow  prisoners,  and  by  them 
treacherously  revealed  to  the  authorities  having  us  in 
charge,  who,  acting  on  the  information  thus  gained 
from  the  traitors  confined  with  us  as  Union  prisoners 
of  war,  immediately  doubled  the  guard,  and  planted 
cannon  bearing  from  various  points  on  the  prison; 
General  Pickett's  division  was  also  ordered  to  the  vi 
cinity  of  Richmond  for  the  purpose  of  overpowering 
any  attempt  at  an  outbreak. 

It  was  but  a  few  days  before  the  time  designated  for 
the  execution  of  the  enterprise,  that  this  discovery  was 
made  to  the  rebel  authorities;  but  measures  were  so 
promptly  taken  by  them  to  meet,  and  if  possible  pre 
vent  it,  (all  of  which  were  known  to  ns,)  that  the  pro 
ject  was  at  once  abandoned  as  impracticable. 

The  abandonment  of  the  scheme  was  not  yet  known 
to  the  Commandant  of  the  prison;  and  that  worthy, 
thinking  no  doubt  to  put  an  end  to  all  attempts  of  the 
kind,  deliberately  resolved  on  the  following  plan  to 
murder  Colonel  Streight,  who  was  known  to  be  the 
leader:  He  addressed  a  note  to  Colonel  Streight,  say 
ing  that  we  were  fools  for  remaining  in  prison,  and 
that  if  two  wished  to  pass  out  that  night  they  could  do 


90  THE    PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

so  by  paying  the  guard  on  a  certain  post  one  hundred 
dollars  in  greenbacks,  and  two  silver  watches.  This 
was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  sentinel  on  a  certain 
post,  who,  according  to  his  instructions,  threw  it 
in  the  prison  through  one  of  the  windows.  Colonel 
Streight,  not  once  suspecting  any  foul  play  or  treachery, 
and  thinking  it  only  a  plan  of  speculation  on  the  part 
of  the  guard,  immediately  prepared  to  take  advantage 
of  the  opportunity  thus  offered  to  regain  his  liberty. 

The  Colonel  borrowed  the  money,  and  Captain 
B.  C.  G.  Read,  of  the  Third  Ohio  Volunteers,  procured 
the  watches,  and  at  the  appointed  time  both  proceeded 
to  the  window  designated,  and  with  the  aid  of  a  blan 
ket,  descended  on  the  outside  to  the  ground,  handed 
the  guard  the  money  and  watches,  and  passed  outside 
the  sentry's  beat.  They  proceeded  only  a  few  steps, 
when  they  were  fired  upon  by  a  squad  of  rebel  soldiers, 
(fortunately  without  injury  to  either,)  who  immediately 
surrounded  them  and  conducted  them  back  within  the 
gloomy  walls  of  the  prison  they  had  just  left,  and  they 
were  at  once  placed  in  one  of  the  dungeons  in  the 
basement  of  the  Libby,  where  their  situation  and  suf 
fering  was  most  horrible. 

The  reader  can  judge  of  their  condition  from  the  fol 
lowing  communication,  addressed  by  Colonel  Streight 
while  in  the  cell,  to  the  United  States  Commissioner 
for  Exchange  of  Prisoners.  It  was  written  with  a  pen 
cil  on  a  slip  of  paper  torn  from  his  memorandum  book, 
and  passed  through  a  hole  cut  in  the  floor  to  one  of  his 
officers  in  the  prison  above,  who  copied  it  and  sent  it 
through  clandestinely  by  a  surgeon  who  was  exchanged 
and  going  North. 


AND  HOW  TREATED.  91 

IN  THE  CELL,  KICIIMOND,  VIRGINIA, 
December  22d,  1863. 

GENERAL: — I  have  the  honor  to  report  to  you  the 
situation  that  Captain  B.  C.  G.  Eead,  Third  Ohio  Vol 
unteers,  and  myself,  are  in,  and  the  circumstances  con 
nected  with  our  being  here.  On  the  eighteenth  instant 
I  received  a  note,  stating  that  we  were  fools  for  staying 
in  prison,  and  that  if  two  of  us  wished  to  leave  at  three 
o'clock  the  following  morning,  we  could  do  so  by  pay 
ing  the  sentinel  on  a  certain  post  one  hundred  dollars  in 
greenbacks  and  two  silver  watches,  as  a  compensation 
for  the  risk  of  being  detected.  I  borrowed  the  money, 
and  Captain  Eead  procured  the  watches,  and  at  the  ap 
pointed  hour  we  proceeded  to  the  designated  place; 
the  money  and  watches  were  handed  over,  and  we  were 
allowed  to  pass  out.  But  no  sooner  were  we  outside 
the  guard  line,  than  an  indiscriminate  fire  was  opened 
on  us  by  a  party  of  the  prison  attaches,  (seven  in  num 
ber,)  headed  by  Lieutenant  LaTouche,  Adjutant  of  the 
prison.  We  were  seized  and  ironed,  and  placed  in  this 
cell  on  bread  and  water.  There  was  no  attempt  on 
the  part  of  the  prison  authorities  to  conceal  the  fact, 
that  they  deliberately  laid  the  plan,  and  seemed  to  con 
sider  it  a  smart  trick.  I  leave  you  to  judge  whether  it 
was  not  a  deliberate  plot  to  rob  and  murder  us. 

The  cell  in  which  we  are  placed  is  in  one  corner  of 
the  cellar  of  Libby  prison.  We  were  without  fire 
until  yesterday,  though  it  was  most  bitter  cold,  and 
now  we  are  nearly  suffocated  with  smoke.  I  cannot 
describe  to  you  the  filth,  nor  the  loathing  stench  with' 
which  we  are  surrounded.  The  cellar  is  filled  with  oM 
rubbish,  and  to  all  appearances  has  not  been  cleaned 
for  years,  consequently  the  number  of  rats  and  mice  is 
beyond  computation.  How  long  the  prison  authori- 


92  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

ties  will  keep  us  here  I  have  no  idea;  but  certain  it  is, 
we  can  not  survive  it  long.  I  have  stated  that  we  were 
reduced  to  bread  and  water  fare;  I  will  add  that  what 
we  get  for  bread  is  of  such  a  quality  that  we,  as  yet, 
have  been  unable  to  eat  it. 

I  trust  you  will  take  such  measures  as  will  compel 
these  men  to  treat  us  as  prisoners  of  war.  I  will  fur 
ther  state  for  your  information,  that  when  I  came  here 
I  found  six  of  our  soldiers  who  had  been  here  one 
week.  They  were  taken  out  yesterday.  Some  meas 
ures  should  be  adopted  to  prevent  such  barbarities  as 
are  daily  being  practiced  on  our  officers  and  men. 

I  send  you  this  privately.  They  have  refused  me 
permission  to  write. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  D.  STREIGHT, 
Colonel  Fifty -First  Indiana  Volunteers. 
To  Brigadier  General  S.  A.  MEREDITH, 

Commissioner  for  Exchange  of  Prisoners. 

The  following,  from  the  Richmond  Enquirer,  fur 
nished  by  the  prison  officials,  gives  their  version  of  the 
affair,  from  which  it  will  be  seen  that  although  they 
blame  the  above  parties  with  making  the  proposition 
to  the  guard,  they  do  not  try  to  keep  secret  the  fact 
that  it  was  a  plot  to  rob  our  men  of  their  money  and 
valuables,  also  to  murder  them,  should  the  least  resist 
ance  be  offered  to  their  recapture. 

ESCAPE  AND  RECAPTURE. — The  Yankee  officers  con 
fined  in  the  Libby  prison,  have,  on  several  occasions 
lately,  made  unsuccessful  attempts  to  escape  from  that 
institution.  The  desire  to  escape  seems  to  have  grown 
with  them  since  the  successful  evacuation  of  the  prem 
ises  by  Captain  Anderson  and  Lieutenant  Skelton, 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  93 

heretofore  noticed,  and  which  was  produced  by  bribing 
the  sentinel  on  duty  at  the  time.  On  Friday  evening, 
a  sentinel  on  duty  in  the  rear  of  Libby  prison,  was 
sounded  by  two  officers  on  the  subject  of  an  escape, 
which  they  wished  to  effect  at  three  and  a  half  o'clock, 
that  night.  He  agreed  to  their  proposals;  they  prom 
ising  to  give  him  a  one  hundred  dollar  green  back  and 
two  watches  for  his  services.  Major  Turner,  being 
notified  of  the  affair,  directed  the  sentinel  to  let  the 
parties  escape  and  receive  the  bonus  for  so  doing,  and 
that  he  would  take  care  they  did  not  get  very  far  off. 
Accordingly,  at  three  and  a  half  o'clock,  a  rear  win 
dow  of  the  middle  tenement  of  the  Libby  establish 
ment,  was  raised,  a  blanket  rope  extended  to  the 
ground,  and  two  men  descended.  Hastily  approaching 
the  sentinel,  they  handed  him  the  green  back  and  two 
silver  watches,  and  were  making  remarkable  good 
time,  when  they  were  hailed  by  Lieutenant  La  Touche, 
and  commanded  to  stop.  This  accelerated  their  speed 
in  the  direction  of  Rocketts,  but  they  had  not  gone 
very  far  when  the  guard,  which  had  been  posted, 
closed  around  the  fugacious  Yankees,  and  their  capture 
was  complete.  On  the  approach  of  Lieutenant  La 
Touche,  he  recognized  the  notorious  Colonel  A.  D. 
Streight  and  his  Adjutant,  Lieutenant  Eeed.  They 
were  conducted  back  to  the  Libby,  furnished  with 
substantial  irons,  and  put  in  the  dungeon  of  the  prison, 
where  they  were  at  last  accounts,  "chewing  the  cud  of 
sweet  and  bitter  fancies."  The  Yankee  officers  had, 
previous  to  the  attempt  of  Streight,  determined  to 
celebrate  Christmas  night  by  a  grand  musical  enter 
tainment.  Whether  their  purpose  will  be  affected  by 
Streight's  proceedings,  remains  to  be  seen." 

They  were  kept  in  the  cell  twenty-one  days,  confined 


94 

on  a  diet  of  coarse,  half  baked  corn  bread,  and  water, 
and  heavily  ironed,  and  closely  guarded  during  the 
whole  of  the  time  They  had  no  means  of  personal 
cleanliness,  neither  water  for  washing,  basin  or  combs, 
nor  change  of  clothing  being  furnished  them ;  conse 
quently,  when  they  made  their  appearance  in  their  old 
quarters,  in  the  upper  part  of  the  building,  they  were 
so  haggard  and  polluted  with  filth  as  to  be  scarcely 
recognizable  by  their  former  comrades.  When  first 
taken  to  the  cell,  the  Colonel  requested  a  box  to  sit  on; 
they  would  not  allow  him  to  have  it.  He  desired 
them  to  clean  the  fiith  out  of  his  dungeon — they  re 
fused.  He  then  asked  them  to  take  off  his  irons  and 
furnish  him  with  a  broom  that  he  might  do  it  himself; 
this  privilege  was  also  denied. 

A  guard  was  kept  constantly  in  front  of  the  grated 
door  of  the  cell,  to  watch  every  motion  they  made, 
lest  they  should  attempt,  by  some  means,  to  relieve 
themselves  of  t\\Q\v  jewels. 

Among  civilized  people  it  is  a  recognized  principle 
of  military  law,  to  be  the  duty  of  a  prisoner  of  war  to 
escape  from  the  hands  of  the  enemy  if  possible,  in  fact 
to  make  every  effort  in  his  power  to  do  so.  For  such 
attempts  at  escape,  his  captors  have  the  right  to  con 
fine  him  in  more  secure  quarters.  But  neither  law  nor 
the  usages  of  civilized  nations  recognize  the  right  of 
punishment,  by  confinement  in  dark,  dank,  filthy  dun 
geons,  or  a  reduction  of  food  to  an  insufficient  quan 
tity  to  sustain  life  and  health,  or  other  means  of 
torture.  Yet  our  officers  and  men,  when  recaptured, 
after  an  attempted  escape,  were  subjected  by  these 
rebels  to  the  most  inhuman  cruelties. 


AND   HOW  TREATED  95 

JOHN   MORGAN  VISITS   LIBBY. 

A  few  clays  after  Colonel  Straight  was  taken  from 
the  dungeon  and  restored  to  his  old  quarters  with  the 
rest  of  the  prisoners,  the  famous,  or  rather,  infamous, 
General  John  H.  Morgan,  who  had  just  escaped  from 
the  Ohio  penitentiary,  paid  a  visit  to  Libby.  He  was 
accompanied  by  the  rebel  General  A.  P.  Hill,  the 
Mayor  of  the  city  of  Richmond,  Joseph  Mayo,  and 
other  rebel  notables.  They  were  conducted  through 
the  different  appartments  of  the  prison  by  one  of  the 
officials  in  charge,  who  introduced  them  to  several  of 
the  prisoners  with  whom  he  had  become  acquainted, 
including  General  Neal  Dow  and  Colonel  Streight, 
both  of  whom  received  the  great  rebel  bandit  with  be 
coming  dignity  and  respect.  There  was  no  expression 
of  gratification  and  delight,  or  show  of  admiration 
manifested  by  any  of  the  prisoners  for  the  great  guer 
rilla;  though  one  of  the  Richmond  papers,  the  follow 
ing  morning,  contained  an  article  saying  that  the 
"Kentucky  officers  expressed  the  most  unqualified 
delight  at  seeing  the  favorite  son  of  their  own  State, 
not  only  delighted  to  see  him,  but  also  delighted  that 
he  had  escaped  from  prison  arid  was  once  more  at  lib 
erty  ;  "  a  statement  in  which  there  was  about  as  much 
truth  as  in  the  following,  taken  from  the  Richmond 
Examiner,  where  it  says  General  Dow's  opinions  had 
changed  considerable  during  his  confinement,  in  favor 
of  the  South: 

"  GENERAL  MORGAN'S  VISIT  TO  THE  LIBBY  PRISON. 

On  Saturday,  the  city's  guest,  General  John  H.  Mor 
gan,  escorted  by  His  Honor,  Joseph  Mayo,  Mayor  of 
Richmond,  Acting  Adjutant  General  R.  A.  Alston, 
Mr.  Bruce,  Member  of  Congress,  from  Kentucky,  and 


96  THE   PRISONER  OF  WAR, 

a  number  of  others,  paid  a  visit  to  the  Libby  prison, 
where  an  opportunity  was  afforded  them  of  inspecting 
that  famous  receptacle  of  Union  sentiment  and  the 
parties  who  give  it  vitality.  These,  in  round  numbers, 
foot  up  considerably  over  a  thousand — an  aggregate 
sufficient  to  make  a  most  respectable  regiment,  so  far 
as  mere  numbers  are  concerned.  General  Morgan  and 
party  arrived  at  the  prison  about  eleven  o'clock,  and, 
on  making  their  wishes  known,  were  immediately  con 
ducted  on  a  tour  of  inspection.  General  Morgan,  on 
arriving  up  stairs,  where  the  prisoners  "  most  do  con 
gregate,  "  was  immediately  conducted  into  the  presence 
of  the  "author  of  the  Maine  Liquor  Law, '"  the  whilom 
Brigadier  General  Neal  Dow.  An  introduction  took 
place,  when  Morgan  observed,  with  one  of  those  inim 
itable  smiles  for  which  he  is  so  noted,  "General  Dow, 
I  am  very  happy  to  see  you  here;  or,  rather,  since  you 
are  here,  I  am  happy  to  see  you  looking  so  well. " 
Dow's  natural  astuteness  and  Yankee  ingenuity  came 
to  his  aid,  and  he  quickly  replied,  without  apparent, 
embarrassment,  "General  Morgan,  I  congratulate  you 
on  your  escape ;  I  cannot  say  that  I  am  glad  you  did 
escape,  but,  since  you  did,  I  am  pleased  to  see  you 
here."  The  conversation  then  became  general  between 
the  two,  during  the  progress  of  which  Dow  admitted 
that  his  views  of  the  South,  its  people,  and  their  treat 
ment  of  prisoners  of  war  had  undergone  a  consider 
able  change  for  the  better  within  the  last  few  months. 

General  Morgan  also  had  an  interview  with  the  no 
torious  Colonel-  Streight,  who  had,  several  days  pre 
vious  to  his  visit,  been  released  from  close  confinement 
for  attempting  to  escape  from  prison,  and  restored  to 
his  old  place  amongst  the  other  officers. 

While  at  the  Libby  General  Morgan  visited  the  hos- 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  97 

pital  attached  to  the  prison,  and  gave  high  praise  to 
surgeon  Wilkins  and  his  co-laborers  for  their  efficient 
conduct.  The  General  said  the  hospitals  were  all  that 
could  be  desired,  and  kept  in  true  military  style. 

The  only  drawback  to  the  pleasant  reflections  in 
duced  by  their  visit  was  the  existence  of  a  fact  which 
unconsciously  leaked  out  during  its  progress.  On  sev 
eral  occasions  lately,  owing  to  the  inefficiency  and  want 
of  industry  or  attention  on  the  part  of  the  quartermas 
ter  charged  with  the  duty  of  furnishing  fuel  for  the  use 
of  the  Libby,  the  imprisoned  officers  have  stood  shiver 
ing  for  days  in  the  .cold.  On  Christmas  day  it  appears 
the  Yankees  went  dinnerless,  because  there  was  no 
wood  to  cook  their  food.  A  few  days  thereafter,  the 
dinner  tables  used  by  the  officers  were  consumed  for 
fuel  to  cook  their  food  with." 


(7) 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE   NEGKOES  IN  LIBBY. 

There  was  attached  to  the  prison  about  twenty  "na 
tive  Americans  of  African  descent,"  who  had  been 
cooks  and  officers'  servants  in  the  Union  army,  but 
who,  through  the  fortunes  of  war,  had  at  various  times 
been  captured  and  brought  to  this  popular  hotel  for 
"Yankee"  soldiers.  They  worked  in  and  around  the 
prison,  scrubbing  floors,  carrying  out  slops,  and  cutting 
wood. 

For  the  most  trifling  offences,  either  imagined  or 
real,  they  were  stripped  and  tied  over  a  tobacco  hogs 
head  or  pork  barrel,  when  Dick  Turner,  to  gratify  his 
devilish  nature,  would  give  the  poor  fellows  on  the 
bare  back  from  thirty  to  forty  lashes,  with  a  horsewhip 
or  cat-o-nine  tails.  The  piteous  moans  and  screams 
of  the  unoffending  victims  ascending  from  the  cellar 
in  which  the  brutal  work  was  enacted,  was  frequently 
heard  in  the  prison  above.  Thank  God!  that  such 
scenes  can  never  recur  in  the  land  of  Washington, 
without  the  guilty  perpetrators  having  to  answer  to  a 
tribunal  of  justice  for  the  crime. 

The  "  General,"  one  of  the  negroes  above  mentioned, 
was  quite  an  original,  and  one  of  the  peculiarities  of 

(98) 


I 
AND   HOW   TREATED.  99 

Libby,  never  to  be  forgotten  by  the  boarders  at  that 
place.  It  was  the  "  General's"  duty  to  go  through  the 
prison  every  morning  with  a  kettle  of  burning  tar, 
fumigating  the  rooms.  He  would  inform  us  on  each 
occasion  that  the  smoke  was  "bery  benewicial  to  the 
gemmen,  kase  it  was  good  Union  smoke." 

THE   LIBBY  TUNNEL. 

After  the  enterprise  contemplated  by  the  "Council 
of  Five"  was  abandoned,  the  leaders  of  that  organiza 
tion  determined  to  escape  from  the  prison  by  tunneling 
from  the  lower  story  or  basement  of  the  building,  pro 
vided  access  could  in  any  way  be  had  to  that  part  of 
the  prison.  A  league,  consisting  of  thirty-one  mem 
bers,  each  of  whom  was  sworn  not  to  divulge  the  exis 
tence  of  the  enterprise,  even  to  his  most  intimate 
friend,  was  organized  to  put  the  scheme  into  execution. 
They  finally  gained  admittance  to  the  cellar  by  care 
fully  removing  a  few  brick  from  the  hearth  in  the 
lower  room  of  the  prison,  and  descending  through  the 
chimney  flue;  which  was  done  at  night,  after  all  except 
those  engaged  in  the  work  had  retired  to  their  respec 
tive  places,  to  sleep  and  dream  perchance  of  home  and 
liberty. 

All  traces  of  their  nocturnal  labors  were  cleared 
away  and  closed  up  before  the  morning  light.  The 
first  tunnel  was  commenced  near  the  south  wall,  with 
the  intention  of  running  through  to  the  sewer  under 
Canal  street.  This  plan  was  found  impracticable,  on 
account  of  water  flowing  in  from  the  sewer.  Colonel 
Streight  then  proposed  that  an  aperture  be  made  in 
the  stone  wall  under  the  east  end  of  the  building,  and 
the  tunnel  made  under  the  alley  leading  from  Eigh- 


100  THE   PRISONER   OP   WAR, 

teenth  street  to  Carey  street.  The  proposition  was  at 
once  adopted,  and  the  work  begun.  The  basement 
from  whence  this  tunnel  was  commenced,  was  very 
spacious  and  dark,  and  rarely  opened,  and,  as  has  been 
before  mentioned,  had  the  appearance  of  not  being 
cleaned  for  years.  Hence  it  was  no  trouble  to  conceal 
and  dispose  of  the  earth  taken  from  the  excavation. 

At  the  base  of  the  east  wall,  and  about  twenty  feet 
from  the  Carey  street  front,  was  the  entrance  to  the 
tunnel,  which  was  hidden  when  the  work  was  not 
going  on  by  a  large  rock  which  fitted  the  aperture  ex 
actly.  Its  passage  lay  directly  beneath  the  tread  of 
three  sentinels,  who  walked  the  breadth  of  the  «ast  end 
of  the  prison,  across  a  paved  alley-way,  a  distance  of 
more  than  fifty  feet,  breaking  up  inside  of  the  inclosure 
in  the  rear  of  the  building  known  as  Carr's  warehouse. 
So  nicely  was  the  distance  guaged,  that  the  inside  of 
the  inclosure  was  struck  precisely  at  the  point  desired. 
The  whole  length  of  the  tunnel  was  about  sixty  feet, 
with  a  diameter  just  large  enough  for  a  large  sized  man 
to  pass  through,  though  in  one  of  the  curvatures 
worked  around  a  rock  it  was  smaller;  here  Colonel 
Streight,  who  by  the  way  is  somewhat  inclined  to  cor 
pulency,  stuck  fast,  and  was  compelled  to  back  out,  and 
divest  himself  of  coat,  vest  and  shirt,  when  he  was  able 
to  squeeze  through,  pulling  the  garments  aforesaid 
through  with  a  string  after  him. 

The  time  consumed  in  digging  this  subterranean 
route  to  liberty  was  about  three  weeks.  Several  weeks, 
however,  had  been  employed  in  fruitless  efforts  to  make 
an  opening  in  other  directions,  before  this  route  was 
projected.  The  work  was  completed  on  the  night  of 
February  the  8th,  1863,  and  about  nine  o'clock  the 
.evening  of  the  9th,  those  engaged  in  the  enterprise 


AND   HOW  TRtfAtfEtf.  101 

commenced  passing  out;  a  knowledge  of  the  hole  then 
became  general,  and  each  one  at  once  resolved  to  go 
out.  The  scene  that  followed  was  truly  amusing  and 
ludicrous — officers  disengaging  themselves  from  the 
blankets  in  which  they  had  wrapped  up  for  the  night, 
and  running  hither  and  thither,  begging,  borrow 
ing,  stealing  and  buying  a  few  crusts  of  corn  bread, 
meat,  or  other  edibles  of  whatever  description  they 
could  get,  anything  to  stay  the  cravings  of  nature  for 
a  day  or  two,  or  until  they  could  find  a  friendly  negro. 

But  of  the  seven  hundred,  or  eight  hundred  men, 
that  crowded,  jammed  and  pushed  around  the  entrance 
to  the  little  avenue  that  led  to  freedom,  only  one  hun 
dred  and  nine,  from  nine  o'clock  Tuesday  evening 
until  daylight  Wednesday  morning,  succeeded  in  get 
ting  to  it  and  escaping. 

The  discovery  was  first  made  at  the  daily  morning 
count,  when  the  number  of  prisoners  fell  alarmingly 
short.  The  roll  was  then  resorted  to,  as  is  always  the 
case  when  the  count  does  not  correspond  with  the 
number  booked.  The  calling  of  the  roll  consumed 
nearly  four  hours,  and  out  of  the  one  thousand  and 
fifty  odd  officers  confined  in  the  prison  the  day  previous, 
one  hundred  and  nine  were  found  to  be  missing.  At 
first  they  suspicioned  that  the  guards  had  been  bribed, 
and  connived  at  the  escape;  this  supicion  we  tried  to 
strengthen,  hoping  that  the  true  manner  of  their  de 
parture  might  remain  a  secret  until  another  night, 
which  would  give  a  hundred  more  an  opportunity  of 
bidding  our  rebel  hosts  farewell,  or  rather  of  taking 
French  leave  without  settling  our  board  bill,  or  using 
that  parting  salutation. 

The  officer  of  the  guard,  and  the  sentinels  on  duty 
the  night  previous,  were  accordingly  placed  under  ar- 


1  PRISONER    OF    WAll, 

rest  by  Major  Turner,  and  after  being  searched  for 
money  or  other  evidences  of  their  criminality,  confined 
in  Castle  Thunder,  in  order  that  further  developments 
might  either  establish  their  innocence  or  fix  their  guilt 
upon  them.  In  the  meantime  Major  Turner  and  Lieu 
tenant  LaTouche  made  a  thorough  inspection  of  the 
basement  of  the  prison,  which  slopes  downwards  from 
Carey  street  towards  the  river  dock.  The  entrance  to 
the  tunnel  was  discovered,  although  at  that  time  hid 
den  by  the  large  rock  which  fitted  the  aperture  exactly. 
This  stone  rolled  away  from  the  mouth  of  the  sepulchre, 
revealed  the  avenue  which  led  to  the  outer  world,  and 
through  which  one  hundred  and  odd  Yankees  had  re 
cently  journeyed.  A  small  negro  boy  was  sent  into 
the  tunnel  on  a  tour  of  exploration,  and  by  the  time 
Turner  and  LaTouche  gained  the  outside  of  the  build 
ing,  a  shout  from  the  negro  announced  his  arrival  at 
the  terminus  of  the  subterranean  route. 

Couriers  were  early  dispatched  in  every  direction, 
and  the  pickets  double  posted  on  all  the  roads  and 
bridges.  Dick  Turner  and  a  posse  of  the  prison  at 
taches  galloped  off,  the  redoubtable  Dick  swearing  that 
he  would  bring  Streight  back  dead  or  alive;  he  re 
turned,  however,  in  a  few  hours  without  seeing  Streight; 
and  I  am  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  it  was  well  for 
him  that  he  did  not,  for  in  all  probability  if  he  had,  he 
would  now  be  enjoying  warmer  quarters  than  the  cell 
in  the  basement  of  Libby  prison. 

The  following  account  of  the  affair  is  from  the  Rich 
mond  Dispatch.  It  will  be  seen  from  this  that  the 
manner  of  gaining  admittance  to  the  cellar  was  not 
discovered  by  the  rebel  officials.  It  was  the  impression 
among  them  for  a  long  time,  in  fact  until  informed 
better  by  one  of  our  own  officers,  that  the  basement 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  103 

was  entered  as  stated  in  the  following  newspaper  arti 
cle.  Fifty-five  of  the  one  hundred  and  nine  succeeded 
in  getting  through  to  our  lines: 

"IMPORTANT   ESCAPE    OF    YANKEE   PRISONERS  —  OVER 

FIFTY  FEET  OF  GROUND  TUNNELED. — The  most  import 
ant  escape  of  Federal  prisoners  which  has  occurred 
during  the  war  took  place  at  the  Libby  prison  some 
time  during  last  Tuesday  night.  Of  the  eleven  hun 
dred  Yankee  officers  confined  therein,  one  hundred  and 
nine  failed  to  answer  to  their  names  at  roll-call  yester 
day  morning.  Embraced  in  this  number  were  eleven 
Colonels,  seven  Majors,  thirty-two  Captains,  and  fifty- 
nine  Lieutenants.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  Colo 
nels  and  Majors : 

"  Colonel  A.  D.  Straight,  of  the  Fifty-First  Indiana 
regiment,  a  notorious  character  captured  in  Tennessee 
by  General  Forrest,  and  charged  with  having  raised  a 
negro  regiment ;  Colonel  W.  G.  Ely,  of  the  Eighteenth 
Connecticut;  Colonel  J.  F.  Boyd,  of  the  Twentieth 
army  corps ;  Colonel  H.  C.  Hobart,  of  the  Twenty- 
First  Wisconsin ;  Colonel  "W.  P.  Kendrick,  of  the  Third 
West  Tennessee  cavalry ;  Colonel  W.  B.  McCreary,  of 
the  Twenty-First  Michigan  ;  Cofonel  Thomas  E.  Rose, 
of  the  Seventy-Seventh  Pennsylvania;  Colonel  J.  P. 
Spofford,  of  the  Ninety- Seventh  New  York;  Colonel 
C.  W.  Tilden,  of  the  Sixteenth  Maine;  Colonel  T.  S. 
West,  of  the  Twenty-Fourth  Wisconsin ;  Colonel  D. 
Miles,  of  the  Nineteenth  Pennsylvania;  Major  J.  P. 
Collins,  of  the  Twenty-Ninth  Indiana;  Major  G.  W 
Fitzsimmons,  of  the  Thirty-Seventh  Indiana;  Majo_ 
J.  H.  Hooper,  of  the  Fifteenth  Missouri;  Major  B. 
B.  Macdonald,  of  the  One  Hundredth  Ohio ;  Major  A. 
Yon  Mitzel,  of  the  Seventy-Fourth  Pennsylvania ;  Ma- 


104  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

jor  I.  ET.  "Walker,  of  the  Seventy-Third  Indiana;  Ma 
jor  J.  A.  Henry,  of  the  Fifth  Ohio. 

"  Immediately  on  discovering  the  absence  of  these 
prisoners  some  excitement  was  created  among  the  Con 
federate  officers  in  charge  of  the  prison,  and  in  a  short 
time  every  means  was  adopted  to  ascertain  the  manner 
of  their  escape.  At  first  Major  Turner  was  inclined  to 
the  opinion  that  the  sentinels  on  duty  had  been  bribed 
to  pass  them  out,  and  this  impression  was  strengthened 
by  the  assertion  of  the  Yankees  remaining  behind  that 
the  work  had  been  accomplished  through  means  of 
heavy  fees,  which  had  been  paid  a  Confederate  officer 
in  the  building,  and  his  influence  over  the  guard  in 
their  behalf.  On  learning  this  the  order  was  given  to 
place  the  guard  under  arrest  and  commit  them  to  Cas 
tle  Thunder.  Not  feeling  satisfied  about  the  matter, 
the  Major  and  Lieutenant  La  Touche  determined  to 
leave  no  stone  unturned  to  ferret  out  the  mystery,  and 
thereupon  proceeded  to  institute  a  search  in  every  di 
rection  for  further  information.  After  a  fruitless  ex 
amination  of  every  part  of  the  building  where  it  was 
thought  possible  for  a  man  to  escape,  they  wTere  about 
abandoning  further  investigation,  when  the  idea  struck 
them  that  some  clue  might  be  obtained  by  going  into 
the  lot  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  when  a  large 
hole  was  soon  discovered  in  the  corner  of  one  of  the 
stalls  of  a  shed  which  had  been  used  as  a  stable,  and  on 
a  line  with  the  street  running  between  it  and  the  Libby 
prison.  This  discovery  fully  satisfied  them  that  they 
had  found  out  the  means  by  which  the  escape  had  been 
made,  and  their  next  step  was  to  trace  out  the  spot 
where  the  tunneling  was  commenced.  Some  few  yards 
from  the  eastern  end  of  the  building,  in  the  basement, 
it  was  found  that  a  large  piece  of  granite,  about  three 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  105 

feet  by  two,  had  been  removed  from  the  foundation, 
and  a  tunnel  extending  fifty-nine  feet  across  the  street, 
eastward,  into  a  vacant  lot  formerly  known  as  Carr's 
warehouse,  cut  through.  This  tunnel  was  about  seven 
feet  from  the  surface  of  the  street,  and  from  two  and  a 
half  to  three  feet  square.  The  lot  in  which  the  exca 
vation  emptied  is  several  feet  below  the  street,  and  the 
fleeing  prisoners,  when  they  emerged  from  the  tunnel, 
found  themselves  on  level  ground.  Running  on  Gary 
street  is  a  brick  building,  through  the  center  of  which 
is  a  large  arch,  with  a  wooden  gate  to  permit  egress 
and  ingress  to  and  from  the  lot.  By  this  route  they 
got  into  Canal  street,  and  keeping  close  to  the  eaves 
of  the  building  they  succeeded  in  eluding  the  vigilance 
of  the  sentinels  on  duty.  The  prisoners  are  confined 
in  the  second  story  of  the  Libby  prison,  and  the  first 
and  basement  stories  had  to  be  attained  before  the 
mouth  of  the  tunnel  could  be  reached.  From  the  first 
floor  leading  to  the  basement  there  was  formerly  a 
stairway,  but  since  the  building  has  been  in  use  as  a 
prison  the  aperture  at  the  head  of  the  steps  has  been 
closed  with  very  heavy  planks. 

"  By  some  means  the  prisoners  would  cut  through  both 
these  floors,  when  they  wished  to  gain  the  cellar,  and 
when  they  had  passed  down  closed  up  the  holes  with 
the  planks  which  had  been  taken  out,  so  neatly  that  it 
could  not  be  discovered.  The  cellar  covers  the  whole 
area  of  the  building,  and  is  only  used  as  a  place  for 
storing  away  meal,  &c.,  for  the  use  of  the  prison.  It 
being  very  large  only  the  front  part  was  required,  and 
therefore  the  back  part  of  it,  which  is  considerably  be 
low  Gary  street,  is  scarcely  ever  visited.  The  dirt 
which  accumulated  as  the  work  progressed  was  spread 
about  this  part  of  the  basement  and  then  covered  over 


106  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

with  a  large  quantity  of  straw  which  has  been  depos 
ited  therein.  It  is  not  known  how  long  the  operatives 
in  this  stupendous  undertaking  have  been  engaged; 
but,  when  the  limited  facilities  which  they  possessed  ia 
taken  into  consideration,  there  can  be  no  doubt  thai 
months  have  elapsed  since  the  work  was  first  begun. 
The  whole  thing  was  skillfully  managed  and  bears  the 
impress  of  master  minds  and  indomitable  perseverance. 

"  Sometime  since  a  Yankee  Captain  was  found  in  the 
cellar,  and  on  being  taken  before  Major  Turner,  all 
smeared  up  with  meal,  he  gave  as  his  excuse  for  being 
there  that  he  did  not  get  enough  to  eat  and  was  look 
ing  for  something  to  make  bread  with.  This  was 
doubtless  a  falsehood,  and  his  only  business  was  to  assist 
in  the  work  which  they  had  in  hand. 

"There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  further  escape 
through  this  avenue  was  contemplated,  and  the  earn 
estness  with  which  the  prisoners  who  remained  be 
hind  tried  to  throw  the  blame  upon  the  guard  was  only 
done  to  prevent  further  inquiry  into  the  matter,  and 
thereby  leave  the  tunnel  open  for  others  to  pass  through. 
Probably  one  more  night  might  have  emptied  the 
prison  of  the  whole  number  confined  therein. 

"Yesterday  workmen  were  engaged  in  stopping  up 
the  passage  which  had  been  made  from  the  prison,  and 
it  may  now  safely  be  relied  on  that  no  other  prisoners 
will  ever  take  their  departure  from  the  Libby  against 
the  knowledge  and  consent  of  the  officers  in  charge. 

"As  soon  as  the  facts  of  the  escape  became  fully 
known,  orders  were  received  by  Colonel  Brown,  com 
manding  the  cavalry  battalion  for  local  defense,  that  a 
detachment  of  his  force  should  immediately  scour  the 
surrounding  country  in  pursuit  of  them,  and  accord 
ingly  twenty-five  men  from  each  company  soon  started 


AND    HOW    TREATED.  107 

off  for  that  purpose.  Four  of  the  prisoners  who  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  out  were,  late  in  the  afternoon,  re 
captured  and  brought  back.  They  had  gotten  about 
twenty-two  miles  from  the  city  before  they  were  over 
taken.  It  is  hardly  probable,  from  the  steps  which 
have  been  taken  to  prevent  it,  that  many  of  them  will 
succeed  in  reaching  the  Yankee  lines." 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above,  that  extraordinary  ef 
forts  were  made  by  the  rebels  for  the  recapture  of  the 
escaped  Yankees,  with  what  success  has  been  already 
stated.  A  history  of  the  adventures,  toil  and  suffer 
ing  of  the  fifty-four  who  reached  the  Union  lines, 
would,  alone,  form  a  truly  interesting  volume.  From 
the  conversation  I  have  had  with  several  of  them  since 
I  escaped  myself  from  rebel  clutches,  I  am  able  to  give 
the  following  sketches  of  their  weary  pilgrimage  to 
the  land  of  liberty.  I  will  first  follow  Colonel  Streight 
and  Captain  Scearce  of  the  Fifty-First  Indiana,  and 
Major  McDonald  and  Lieutenant  Sterling,  of  the  One 
Hundredth  Ohio  Volunteers,  on  their  march  north 
ward. 

They  left  Libby  early  in  the  evening,  only  three  or 
four  others  having  went  through  the  tunnel  before 
them.  Emerging  from  the  long,  dark  passage,  they 
came  up  inside  of  the  enclosure  in  the  rear  of  the 
building,  known  as  Carr's  warehouse,  from  whence 
they  passed  off,  singly,  through  an  arched  gateway,  to 
Canal  street,  passing  around  the  south  and  west  sides 
of  Libby  prison,  within  a  few  feet  of  the  sentinels  on 
duty.  As  they  were  proceeding  along  Eighteenth 
street  a  man  ran  out  of  a  grocery  and  commanded 
them  to  halt.  The  order  not  being  complied  with,  he 
followed  them  several  rods,  repeating  it  every  few  yards. 
This  gave  them  some  uneasiness,  not  that  they  had  any 


108  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

thought  of  surrendering  to  one  man,  but  they  feared 
he  would  keep  up  the  chase  and  demands  for  them  to 
halt,  until  the  attention  of  other  parties  was  attracted, 
and  a  crowd  collected,  when  any  attempt  at  resistance 
would  be  useless.  He  proved,  however,  to  be  only  a 
drunken  soldier,  and  had  mistaken  the  fugitive  Yankees 
for  some  of  his  comrades  whom  he  wished  to  join. 
"Without  further  incident  or  molestation  they  pro 
ceeded  as  according  to  previous  arrangement  made 
with  Mrs.  Abbey  Green,  with  whom  they  had  been 
corresponding,  through  the  agency  of  a  colored,  boy 
who  was  allowed  access  to  the  prison,  to  the  house  of 
a  negro  woman,  who  immediately  notified  Mrs.  Green 
of  their  arrival.  That  lady  at  once  obeyed  the  sum 
mons,  and  winding  through  the  dark  and  narrow  al 
leys,  was  soon  in  close  consultation  with  them  in 
regard  to  future  movements. 

Leaving  the  negro  hut,  Mrs.  Green  directed  her 
course  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Quarrelles,  the  absconding 
prisoners  following  in  pairs  within  sight.  The  whole 
party  finally  arrived  at  this  gentleman's  residence, 
where  they  found  Mrs.  L.  A.  Rice,  a  lady  with  whom 
they  had  also  been  corresponding  while  in  prison. 
She  kindly  gave  up  her  rooms  to  the  escaped  prisoners, 
and  made  purchases  of  under  clothing  for  them,  also 
provisions  for  their  subsistence  on  their  journey  north 
ward  ;  in  fact,  the  Union  people  with  whom  they 
came  in  contact,  seemed  to  vie  with  each  other  in 
their  exertions  for  the  comfort  and  safety  of  Colonel 
Streight  and  his  companions. 

During  their  stay  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Quarrelles 
they  were  visited  by  several  Union  men,  who  furnished 
them  with  money,  revolvers  and  ammunition.  Several 
of  them  also  went  out  on  pretext  of  hunting  game,  to 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  109 

reeonnoiter  the  position  of  the  rebel  lines,  and  ascer 
tain  the  most  safe  and  practicable  place  to  pass  their 
pickets.  One  Union  man  visited  Libby  prison  the 
morning  following  the  escape,  for  the  purpose  of  gain 
ing  what  information  he  could  in  regard  to  the  plans 
and  extent  of  the  preparations  made  for  the  recapture 
of  the  runaways.  While  there  he  learned  that  the 
officials  connected  with  the  prison,  from  General  Win 
der  down,  were  very  lugubrious  over  the  escape  of 
Colonel  Streight,  and  talked  as  though  they  would  be 
content  for  all  the  other  prisoners  to  get  through 
safely,  if  they  only  could  get  the  Colonel  again  in  their 
clutches,  either  alive  or  dead.  It  would  appear,  how 
ever,  from  the  instructions  given  the  parties  sent  out 
for  his  recapture,  that  they  preferred  having  him  in 
the  latter  condition,  as  the  order  was  to  kill  him  if 
found.  So  anxious  were  the  Richmond  officials  and 
the  rebels  of  that  city  for  the  recapture  or  murder  of 
Streight,  that  the  Dispatch  got  up  a  canard  that  he  had 
been  killed  up  the  James  River  Canal,  and  his  body 
brought  to  the  city ;  when  this  was  discovered  to  be 
false,  a  rumor  was  circulated  that  he  was  still  lurking 
about  Richmond,  and  had  been  seen  in  a  certain  build 
ing  on  Main  street;  a  search  was  immediately  insti 
tuted  on  said  premises  for  the  Yankee  Colonel,  of 
which  the  following  amusing  account  appeared  in  the 
Richmond  Examiner: 

"SEEING  STREIGHT. — Between  four  and  five  o'clock  on 
Tuesday  afternoon,  a  posse  of  Government  detectives 
and  guards  bustled  into  the  office  of  Messrs.  Mahoney 
and  Hunt,  dentists,  on  the  first  floor  of  number  two 
hundred  and  eleven  Main  street,  between  ninth  and 
tenth  streets.  Their  spokesman,  detective  Craddock, 
after  taking  in  sufficient  breath,  inquired,  "I  want  to 


110  THE    PRISONER   OF   WAR,  . 

see  Streight ! "  Now  the  officer  was  not  cross-eyed,  so 
Doctor  Hunt  replied, "  well,  if  you  want  to  see  Streight 
you  can  do  so  when  you  find  him ;  but  he  is  not  in  my 
keeping."  The  detective  and  his  posse  laughed. 
"  Now,  come,  trot  him  out,  we  know  he  is  here ;  for  he 
was  seen  here  yesterday."  Doctor  Hunt  and  his  part 
ner  were  getting  annoyed.  "Would  the  posse  search 
his  apartments?"  That  they  would.  So  the  doctor 
led  them  straightway  to  the  business  of  overturning 
and  ransacking  things.  They  penetrated  his  wardrobe, 
spilled  over  his  couch,  looked  straight  up  the  chimney, 
and  it  is  said  even  looked  into  his  dentist  bowl,  shav 
ing  cup  and  bottles  for  the  lilliputian  form  of  whiskey 
Straight.  They  descended  into  the  basement,  recon- 
noitered  the  four  corners  of  it,  and  straightway  returned. 
Had  a  microscope  been  handy  they  would  have  looked 
into  things  a  little  closer.  But  they  were  not  to  be  put 
off  without  Streight ;  so  the  whole  posse  took  up  a 
straight  bee  line  for  the  second  story.  Now  it  so  hap 
pened  that  it  was  here  that  Pharoah  had  set  up  one  of 
his  tabernacles,  and  hard  by  was  the  secret  jungle  of 
"ye  tiger."  And  when  they  that  sat  with  Pharoah, 
watching  the  gamboling  of  "ye  tiger,"  heard  of  the 
entrance  and  searching  below,  and  the*  feet  of  men 
upon  the  stairs,  they  said,  "Truly,  the  Tycoon  and  his 
mandarin  be  upon  us,"  and  straightway  broke  for  the 
roof,  the  coat  tails  of  several  prominent  members  of 
the  lower  House,  whisking  in  mad  haste  to  the  upper 
House,  the  skylight  and  the  roof. 

"  Meanwhile,  the  report  spread  that  Colonel  A.  D. 

Streight  and  several  of  his  officers  were  in  the  house, 

and  that  the  search  for  them  was  then  progressing. 

'Hundreds  of  excited  citizens  rushed  to  the  spot,  and  in 

five  minutes  the  house  was  surrounded,  front  and  rear. 


AND  HOW  TREATED.  Ill 

The  flight  of  the  card  party  seemed  to  confirm  the  re 
port,  and  as  the  Egyptians  were  seen  running  and 
leaping  from  roof  to  roof,  the  cry  arose  on  all  sides, 
"here  they  go,  there  they  go!  there's  Streight!"  (gen 
tleman  in  black,  with  hair  straight  on  end  and  coat  tail 
straight  out),  "  shoot  him,  shoot  him ! "  The  situation 
of  the  people's  representatives  on  the  roof  was  getting 
straightened  indeed,  as  they  had  much  to  fear  from 
their  excited  constituents  below,  who  now  numbered 
at  least  a  thousand.  Several  loaded  muskets  arrived 
upon  the  scene,  followed  by  any  number  of  plug  ugly 
revolvers.  Excited  citizen  in  the  rear  got  the  range  of 
the  impromptu  Streight  and  blazed  away  at  him  as  he 
dodged  between  two  chimneys,  but  the  excited  marks 
man  did  not  see  straight,  or  shut  both  eyes  and  did  not 
see  at  all,  and  missed  him,  wounding  a  chimney  se 
verely.  One  by  one  the  fugitives  disappeared  from 
sight,  having  discovered  friendly  traps,  through  which 
they  descended,  escaping  a  trap  discretion  taught  them 
to  avoid.  Still  the  exciting  Yankee  hunt  was  con 
tinued,  and  the  points  of  blood-thirsty  looking  weap 
ons  were  elevated,  turning  around  and  searching  about 
for  a  target.  Doctor  Mahoney  venturing  to  examine 
the  rear  of  his  yard  to  see  if  it  was  guarded,  presented 
his  head  at  the  back  window,  when  an  urchin  yelled, 
"  There  he  is ;  there's  Streight !  "  and  fired  at  him  with 
a  pocket  pistol,  doing  no  harm,  so  excited  and  nervous 
was  the  hand  that  held  the  weapon.  Finally,  after  the 
lapse  of  about  an  hour,  people  regained  their  senses 
in  a  measure,  and  departed  in  pairs  to  take  whiskey 
straight  in  lieu  of  Colonel  A.  D.  Streight. 

There  were  several  negroes  in  the  second  story  when 
the  advance  on  them  was  made  by  the  officers,  who,  in 
stalking  for  the  Yankee  Jackal,  started  the  Confeder- 


112  THE   PRISONER  OF  WAR, 

ate  tiger.  One  of  them  ran,  monkey-like,  across  the 
next  roof,  descended  a  trap  and  fell  through  a  sky 
light,  a  distance  of  thirty  feet,  striking  upon  and  de 
molishing  the  baluster  of  a  stairway  in  the  house  of 
Mrs.  Rees.  The  negro  was  not  hurt  in  the  least,  and 
picking  himself  up,  scaled  a  rear  portico  and  was  seen 
no  more. 

"  It  appears,  from  what  we  have  since  learned,  that  the 
search  was  made  upon  the  strength  of  information 
communicated  to  Colonel  Ives,  of  the  President's  staff, 
in  an  anonymous  letter.  The  letter  stated  that  Colo 
nel  Streight  had  been  seen  there  the  previous  day. 
"We  suspect  that  the  whole  affair  was  a  plot  to  reveal 
the  existence  of  a  violation  of  the  gaming  law,  as  car 
ried  on  in  the  second  story,  over  Messrs.  Mahoney  and 
Hunt's  office,  and  with  which  they  have  nothing  to  do. 
About  seven  o'clock  the  same  evening  there  was  an 
other  excitement  at  the  same  place,  in  consequence  of 
men  being  seen  passing  rapidly  from  one  roof  to  an 
other  on  a  ladder  thrown  across.  It  was  Streight 
again,  making  his  exit  from  his  hiding  place,  and 
straightway  there  was  another  hubbub. 

The  whole  story  of  Streight's  presence  in  Richmond 
may  be  set  down  as  a  straight-out-and-out  "  sell "  of 
very  huge  calibre." 

At  the  same  time  this  exciting  hunt  for  Streight  was 
going  on,  he  and  his  whole  party  were  lying  concealed 
as  before  mentioned,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  read 
ing  the  above  account  the  next  morning  after  it  trans 
pired,  also  the  Dispatch's  account  of  the  Colonel's 
murder  up  the  canal.  They  remained  at  the  house  of 
Mr.  Quarrells  one  week,  recruiting  strength  for  the 
long  and  dangerous  journey  before  them.  At  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  eighth  day  of  their  stay 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  113 

in  Kichmond,  accompanied  by  a  guide,  and  two  deser 
ters  from  Camp  Lee,  well  armed  and  provided  with 
provisions,  they  started  out  on  the  long  weary  inarch 
northward;  after  passing  outside  the  works  and  forti 
fications,  unseen  by  the  troops  on  duty  there,  they 
directed  their  course  by  a  small  pocket  compass  about 
fifteen  degrees  east  of  north,  and  the  same  night  crossed 
the  Chickahominy  river  within  full  view  of  the  rebel 
pickets.  Here  one  of  the  deserters  who  had  started 
with  the  party  from  Richmond  became  frightened  and 
left,  causing  some  anxiety  in  the  minds  of  the  fugitives, 
lest  he  should  betray  them  to  the  troops  doing  duty 
along  the  course  of  the  river.  The  second  night  out 
the  whole  party  suffered  severely,  the  weather  being 
extremely  cold,  and  they  thinly  clad  and  without  blan 
kets,  and  dare  not  build  fires,  which  might  attract 
attention  and  be  the  means  of  leading  to  their  recap 
ture.  They  traveled  next  night,  avoiding  all  roads, 
but  the  whole  party  was  already  so  much  fatigued  and 
their  legs  and  feet  so  much  swollen,  that  they  were  able 
to  make  only  a  few  miles  in  the  direction  of  the  happy 
land  they  were  seeking.  The  next  day  was  so  in 
tensely  cold,  that  fatigued  and  worn  out  as  they  were, 
they  were  obliged  to  keep  moving  to  prevent  perish 
ing.  During  this  day's  march,  they  arrived  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Pamunkey  river,  which  they  found 
flowing  with  great  huge  cakes  of  ice  that  jammed  and 
crushed  each  other,  producing  a  noise  like  the  roar 
of  a  dozen  Niagaras;  to  cross  this  stream  was  of  the 
utmost  importance  for  the  present  safety  of  the  fugi 
tives.  But  how  was  this  to  be  accomplished?  there 
was  no  boat  at  hand,  or  any  place  in  the  vicinity  that 
one  could  be  procured,  and  even  if  they  had  a  boat  it 
seemed  like  madness  to  attempt  pushing  it  through 
(8) 


114 

the  surging  waters,  and  between  the  vast  acres  of  ice 
floating  with  the  current,  sweeping  every  thing  before 
it.  To  delay  was  hazarding  their  liberty,  to  push 
forward  seemed  certain  destruction ;  they  were  brave 
and  determined  men,  and  the  situation  made  them 
desperate;  they,  therefore,  resolved  on  building  a  raft 
of  rails,  poles  and  bark,  and  trust  their  fate  to  the 
angry  element  in  preference  to  the  ferocious  dogs  and 
savage  men  in  pursuit.  The  raft  completed,  all  got 
aboard,  and  soon  the  frail  craft,  in  obedience  to  the 
propelling  power  of  its  cargo  of  human  freight,  was 
dodging  through  the  crevices,  and  into  the  open  spaces 
formed  by  the  cracking  and  splits  in  the  ice  fields. 
After  an  hour  of  peril  and  incessant  labor,  the  north 
bank  of  the  stream  was  safely  reached,  and  with  a 
shout  of  triumph  and  gladness  the  whole  party  stepped 
on  shore.  But  before  the  top  of  the  bank  was  gained, 
they  were  discovered  by  a  squad  of  rebel  scouts.  Was 
it  possible  they  had  periled  their  lives  crossing  the 
fearful  stream  to  fall  immediately  in  the  hands  of  the 
enemy,  and  be  again  consigned  to  the  horrid  dungeons 
and  cells  of  the  Richmond  prisons?  No,  fortune  fa 
vored  them;  the  rebel  soldiery,  winding  through  the 
swamp  and  tangled  brush  and  cedars,  lost  sight  of 
them,  of  which  they  took  advantage  and  secureh7  con 
cealed  themselves  in  a  dense  pine  thicket,  where  they 
remained  undisturbed  until  after  nightfall,  when  they 
again  started  on  their  weary  pilgrimage,  avoiding  as 
usual  all  public  roads.  This  night's  march  brought 
them  to  the  Mattaponi  river,  which,  like  the  Pamun- 
key,  was  running  full  of  ice,  but  they  fortunately  found 
a  very  good  boat,  and  crossed  with  but  little  difficulty; 
and  soon  afterwards  gray  streaks  of  light  began  making 
their  appearance  in  the  east,  warning  the  fugitives  that 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  115 

their  safety  demanded  they  should  select  a  place  of 
concealment  until  the  dark  shades  of  night  again  en 
veloped  the  earth.  After  a  suitable  place  was  secured, 
a  small  fire  was  built  to  heat  the  sand,  in  which  they 
would  bury  their  feet  during  the  day  to  keep  them 
from  freezing.  They  dare  not  risk  building  a  fire  after 
sunrise,  lest  the  smoke  should  attract  attention  and 
lead  to  their  discovery  and  recapture. 

The  fifth  night  out,  they  traveled  over  an  extremely 
rough  country,  through  tangled  brush  and  briers.  In 
the  latter  part  of  the  night  they  met  a  negro,  from 
whom  they  learned  that  they  were  in  the  vicinity  of 
Rappahannock  Station;  and  from  the  information 
gained  from  him,  they  concluded  it  was  best  to 
bivouac  in  a  swamp  about  two  miles  from  the  village. 
The  ice  was  running  in  large  quantities  in  the  Kappa- 
bannock  river,  making  a  rumbling  noise  that  could  be 
heard  for  miles.  The  weather  was  still  very  cold, 
consequently  in  their  thinly  clad  condition  they  suf 
fered  extremely  with  the  frost;  their  stock  of  provis 
ions  was  also  about  exhausted,  but  a  negro  fortunately 
discovered  them  in  their  hiding  place,  and  conducted 
them  to  his  hut,  and  gave  them  an  abundant  supply 
of  corn  bread  and  bacon.  The  next  morning  they 
were  discovered  and  pursued  by  soldiers,  citizens  and 
hounds;  they  pushed  on,  however,  and  when  the  dogs 
came  up  they  fed  and  urged  them  on,  as  though  they 
were  not  the  party  whose  trail  they  were  scenting. 
During  the  day  two  of  the  party  gave  out  from  over 
exertion  and  loss  of  sleep,  and  had  to  be  supported  by 
the  others  in  order  to  get  along.  They  were  surroun 
ded  by  the  rebels  in  pursuit  three  times,  but  by  con 
cealing  themselves  in  the  laurel  thickets,  and  fre 
quently  changing  their  location,  they  were  able  to  hold 


116  THE  PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

out  until  night,  when  they  felt  quite  safe,  although 
surrounded  on  the  east,  north  and  west  by  water,  and 
on  the  south  by  a  chain  of  rebel  pickets,  which  left 
them  in  a  space,  the  area  of  which  did  not  exceed  two 
miles  in  width  and  five  miles  in  length,  with  about  six 
hundred  soldiers  and  a  large  number  of  citizens,  with 
several  packs  of  hounds  on  their  track. 

That  night  they  went  to  a  plantation,  and  was  hid 
by  the  negroes  in  one  of  their  huts,  while  the  darkies 
themselves  went  with  their  masters  to  join  in  the  hunt 
for  the  runaway  Yankee  officers.  The  negroes  found 
a  boat  of  at  least  forty  tons  burthen,  anchored  on  the 
opposite  side  of  a  stream  about  two  hundred  yards 
wide,  which  empties  in  the  Rappahannock  river. 
About  ten  o'clock,  p.  M.,  they  started  for  the  vessel, 
accompanied  by  the  negroes;  arriving  at  the  stream, 
a  raft  was  quickly  constructed  and  pushed  out  to 
wards  the  boat,  which  was  soon  reached,  and  all  got 
aboard,  including  the  negroes,  who  assisted  to  row  the 
vessel  down  the  bayou  to  the  river,  and  then  returned 
to  the  plantation.  The  Rappahannock,  which  at  this 
point  is  three  miles  wide,  was  crossed  without  diffi 
culty,  and  the  boat  then  turned  adrift.  The  follow 
ing  day  they  rested  in  the  pine  thickets  as  usual, 
and  at  night  started  out,  marching  in  great  pain 
through  woods,  swamps,  and  over  hills,  arriving  about 
daylight  on  the  bank  of  the  Potomac  river,  opposite 
Blackstone's  Island,  when  they  met  a  negro  who  di 
rected  them  to  the  house  of  a  Union  man,  (a  German,) 
who-  was  the  owner  of  a  boat;  with  him  they  remained 
until  night,  when  they  went  to  the  river  to  cross,  the 
German  and  two  or  three  of  his  friends  at  the  same 
time  going  up  to  the  bayou  where  the  vessel  was 
moored  to  bring  it  into  the  river.  While  on  thia  mis- 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  117 

sion  they  were  discovered  by  a  squad  of  rebel  soldiers, 
(about  twenty,)  who,  supposing  it  was  Colonel  Streight 
and  his  party,  opened  fire  on  them,  wounding  one 
and  capturing  the  others.  But  our  Yankee  friends, 
unobserved,  "retreated  in  good  order,"  where  they 
secreted  themselves,  occasionally  "changing  their 
base,"  until  the  next  night,  when  they  went  back  to 
the  house  of  their  German  friend,  from  whom  they 
learned  that  the  rebel  soldiery  had  mistaken  him,  and 
the  men  with  him,  for  escaped  prisoners.  They  re 
mained  at  this  place  for  two  days,  waiting  for  an  op 
portunity  to  cross  the  Potomac  river,  which  at  this 
point  is  eight  miles  wide;  while  here  they  were  in  full 
view  of  a  part  of  the  Potomac  flotilla,  which  they  re 
peatedly  signalled  with  a  white  shirt,  but  no  notice 
was  taken  of  it  by  any  of  the  vessels. 

The  German  finally  succeeded  in  getting  a  boat  from 
a  friend  some  miles  further  up  the  river.  They  then 
set  sail  for  Blackstone's  Island,  and  arrived  there  at 
two  o'clock,  A.  M.,  the  twenty-eighth  day  of  February, 
and  were  kindly  received  at  the  house  of  Dr.  Williams. 
The  next  day  they  took  passage  with  acting  Commo 
dore  Parker,  of  the  Potomac  squadron,  and  arrived  in 
Washington  the  first  of  March. 

A  long,  weary,  and  perilous  pilgrimage  had  been 
theirs.  Eleven  days  and  nights  of  watching  and 
anxiety,  of  cold  and  hunger,  of  peril  and  hairbreadth 
escapes,  of  threading  thickets  and  marshes,  of  crossing 
streams,  and  shelterless  sleeping  on  the  ground,  of 
lacerated  feet  and  frost  bitten  hands,  of  alternating 
hope  and  despair,  was  their  varied  and  bitter  expe 
riences.  But  it  was  liberty  they  sought,  and  they 
gained  it.  Bravery,  energy,  perseverance,  the  kindly 
moon  and  polar  star,  and  the  negro  guide,  brought 


118 

them  safe  within  our  lines.  Freedom,  friends,  and 
the  protecting  folds  of  the  stars  and  stripes,  was  their 
reward. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


KILPATRICK'S  ATTEMPT  TO  RELEASE  THE  PRISONER. 

Demonstrations  on  the  rebel  Capital  by  the  Union 
cavalry,  during  our  sojourn  there,  were  of  frequent  oc 
currence,  but  generally  resulted  in  nothing  more  than 
giving  Jeff.  Davis  and  the  rebel  officials  a  "big  scare," 
and  carrying  off  a  few  negroes.  The  last  of  these 
movements  was  the  famous  raid  of  General  Kilpatrick 
in  February,  when  the  brave  and  lamented  Dahlgren 
yielded  up  his  gallant  young  life  a  noble  sacrifice  on 
the  altar  of  his  country — the  bullet  of  a  cowardly  and 
concealed  foe  mortally  wounding  him  while  with  his 
command  protecting  the  rear  of  Kilpatrick's  retreat 
ing  column. 

In  the  earlier  stages  of  the  war,  reports  were  in  cir 
culation  to  the  effect  that  the  rebel  soldiery  carried 
from  the  bloody  field  of  Manassas  the  bones  of  our 
gallant  dead,  and  afterwards  manufactured  them  into 
rings  and  ornaments  which  they  sent  home  as  trophies 
to  their  female  friends,  who,  wearing  them,  would 
point  to  the  ring  on  the  finger,  or  the  cross  swinging 
from  the  neck,  and  with  savage  pride  boast  that  the 
one  was  made  from  a  Yankee's  skull,  and  the  other 
from  the  bones  of  his  limbs.  These  stories,  although 

(119) 


120  THE    PRISONER   OF    WAR, 

extensively  circulated,  received  but  little  credit  Our 
people  could  not  realize  the  possibility  of  civlized  men 
and  women  sinking  to  a  depth  of  barbarism  that  would 
prompt  such  inhuman  and  malicious  outrages  on  the 
bodies  of  their  dead  fellow-beings.  But  these  acts, 
even  if  true,  were  human  and  Christian  when  compared 
with  the  fiendish  mutilation  and  disposition  of  the  body 
of  the  murdered  Dahlgren.  What  this  was,  we  only 
know  from  their  own  statements,  and  give  the  follow 
ing  account  of  it  from  the  Richmond  Examiner: 

u  Dahlgren's  body  was  boxed  up  at  Walkerton  on 
Sunday  and  brought  to  Richmond,  with  the  object,  we 
understand,  of  its  positive  identification,  and  the  es 
tablishment  of  the  fact  of  the  finding  of  the  infamous 
documents  upon  it,  all  of  which  has  been  attested  by 
witnesses.  Henceforth  the  name  of  Dahlgren  is  linked 
with  eternal  infamy,  and  in  the  years  to  come  defense 
less  woman  and  innocent  childhood  will  peruse,  with 
a  sense  of  shrinking  horror,  the  story  of  Richmond's 
rescue  from  the  midnight  sack  and  ravage  led  by  Dahl 
gren.  It  would  segm  something  of  the  curse  he  came 
to  bestow  upon  others  lighted  upon  his  own  carcass, 
when  it  fell  riddled  by  avenging  Southern  bullets. 
Stripped,  robbed  of  every  valuable,  the  fingers  cut  off 
for  the  sake  of  the  diamond  rings  that  encircled  them, 
when  the  body  was  found  by  those  sent  to  take  charge 
of  it,  it  was  lying  in  a  field  stark  naked,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  the  stockings.  Some  humane  persons  had 
lifted  the  corpse  from  the  pike  and  thrown  it  over  into 
the  field,  to  save  it  from  the  hogs.  The  artificial  leg 
worn  by  Dahlgren  was  removed,  and  is  now  at  General 
Elzey's  headquarters.  It  is  of  most  beautiful  design 
and  finish. 

Yesterday  afternoon  the  body  was  removed  from  the 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  121 

car  that  brought  it  to  the  York  River  railroad  depot, 
and  given  to  the  spot  of  earth  selected  to  receive  it. 
"Where  that  spot  is  no  one  but  those  concerned  in  its 
burial  know  or  care  to  tell.  It  was  a  dog's  burial, 
without  coffin,  winding  sheet  or  service.  Friends  and 
relatives  at  the  North  need  inquire  no  further;  this  is 
all  they  will  know — he  is  buried  a  burial  that  befitted 
the  mission  upon  which  he  came.  He  has  "swept 
through  the  city  of  Richmond"  on  a  pine  bier,  and 
"written  his  name"  on  the  scroll  of  infamy,  instead  of 
"on  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen,"  never  to  be  erased. 
He  "asked  the  blessing  of  Almighty  God"  on  his  mis 
sion  of  rapine,  murder  and  blood,  and  the  Almighty 
cursed  him  instead." 

Copies  of  the  orders  issued  by  Colonel  Dahlgren  to 
his  troops  were  found  upon  his  person.  What  pur 
ported  to  be  verbatim  copies  of  these  orders  were  pub 
lished  in  the  Richmond  papers,  but  they  were  too  ridic 
ulous  and  absurd  to  be  credited  by  any  except  mis 
guided  and  blinded  rebels,  as  the  addresses  of  a  com 
manding  officer  to  his  troops.  According  to  these 
neither  age  nor  sex  was  to  be  spared,  nor  mercy  nor 
quarter  shown — all  was  to  be  put  to  the  sword. 

This  expedition  of  Kilpatrick's,  although  a  portion 
of  his  troops  came  in  sight  of  the  rebel  Capital — in 
fact  inside  of  the  outer  works  protecting  that  strong 
hold  of  treason — from  some  cause  proved  a  most  la 
mentable  and  disastrous  failure. 

PLOT  TO  BLOW  UP  THE  PRISON. 

We  now  come  to  a  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  in 
famous  rebellion  just  conquered  by  the  armies  of  the 
Union,  which,  in  its  wicked  design  and  malignity,  sur- 


122  THE   PRISONER   OF    WAR, 

passes  any  act  of  cruelty  on  the  black  records  of  crime. 
Kilpatrick's  force  was  greatly  overestimated  by  the 
rebel  officials  in  Richmond  ;  the  design  of  the  expedi 
tion  was  also  somewhat  shrouded  in  mystery.  It  was 
supposed  by  them,  however,  that  it  contemplated  the 
release  of  the  Union  prisoners  of  war  confined  there. 
At  this  time  there  were  but  a  few  regular  troops  in  the 
defenses  of  the  city,  consequently  they  did  not  feel  very 
sanguine  of  their  ability  to  hold  the  place  against  a 
sudden  dash  of  cavalry.  But  they  resolved  that,  un 
der  no  circumstances,  should  the  officers  and  prisoners 
of  war  confined  in  Libby  be  returned  to  their  friends 
and  the  defense  of  their  country  by  being  released 
with  force  of  arms;  and  a  project  for  our  destruction 
that  would  shock  even  the  cruel  nature  of  a  Nena 
Sahib  was  planned,  and  ready  to  be  executed  the  mo 
ment  the  Union  forces  entered  the  city. 

An  excavation  was  made  in  the  cellar  of  the  prison 
in  which  was  placed  several  hundred  pounds  of  pow 
der,  and  a  fuse  attached  ready  to  ignite  and  blow  the 
building,  inmates,  and  all  to  atoms,  in  case  they  were 
unable  to  repulse  Kilpatrick. 

The  evidence  of  the  existence  of  this  scheme  to  de 
stroy  the  prisoners  by  blowing  up  the  building  with 
gunpowder  was  abundant,  and  the  source  from  whence 
it  came  such  that  its  truth  could  not  be  questioned. 
The  operation  of  placing  the  powder  there  was  seen  by 
our  men  confined  in  the  cell,  and  by  the  negroes  quar 
tered  in  that  part  of  the  prison,  who  were  afterwards 
removed  to  another  apartment  and  warned  to  keep 
away  from  their  old  place.  The  Richmond  Sentinel, 
referring  to  the  matter,  said  such  measures  had  been 
adopted  by  the  prison  officials  that  the  Yankee  officers 
would  never  be  released  by  Federal  troops.  Dick  Tur- 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  123 

ner  himself  remarked  to  one  of  our  officers  that  if  Kil- 
patrick  had  succeeded  in  getting  into  the  city,  Libby 
and  every  d — d  Yankee  in  it  would  have  been  blown 
to  h — 11  before  they  should  have  been  released. 

It  is  well  for  the  city  of  Richmond  that  this  horrible 
plot  was  not  executed,  as  no  power  on  earth  could  have 
restrained  the  desire  of  the  Union  soldier  for  vengeance, 
and  to-day  there  would  only  be  a  huge  pile  of  brick 
and  stone — smouldering  ruins  of  the  Confederate  capi 
tal  to  mark  the  place  where  the  treasonable  city  once 
stood. 

KEMOVAL   FROM   LIBBY. 

'Tis  May  sixth,  1864;  eight  days  more  and  we  will 
have  been  here  one  year,  a  year  of  torturing  anxiety, 
conflicting  hopes  and  fears;  a  year  of  suffering,  depri 
vation  and  inhuman  treatment ;  a  year  lost  to  our 
selves,  to  our  country  and  our  friends,  except,  perhaps, 
we  have  acquired  in  a  greater  degree  the  virtue  of  pa 
tience  and  the  ability  to  meet,  with  fortitude  and  re 
signation,  the  fate  that  the  fortunes  of  war  have  im 
posed  upon  us. 

May  sixth — a  day  long  to  be  remembered  in  the 
history  of  our  country  has  passed  with  the  usual  dull, 
monotonous  routine  of  duties,  occupations  and  amuse 
ments,  and  the  sombre  shades  of  night  again  envelop 
Libby  and  its  inmates,  nearly  all  of  whom  have  sought 
their  respective  places  on  the  floor  and  earnestly  court 
sleep,  that  blissful  relief  for  the  weary,  suffering  and 
heart-sore  prisoner.  But  ere  Morpheus  established  his 
supremacy  through  the  apartments  of  Libby,  we  were 
startled  by  an  order  from  the  prison  commandant  to  be 
ready  to  march  at  one  o'clock  the  next  morning.  Dis- 


124  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

order  and  confusion  followed  this  order;  every  one  was 
instantly  busily  engaged  "packing  up"  with  the  in 
tention  of  taking  with  him  the  few  articles  of  comfort 
he  had  remaining  of  what  had  been  sent  from  home, 
but  an  order  comes  from  the  authorities  that  we  will 
not  be  allowed  to  take  anything  with  us  more  than  we 
are  able  to  carry  to  Petersburg,  to  which  point  it  is  an 
nounced  we  will  have  to  march.  But  where  are  they 
going  to  take  us?  is  the  question  anxiously  passed 
from  one  to  another.  Some  over-sanguine  individual 
who,  perhaps,  has  been  but  a  short  time  a  resident  of 
Libby,  feels  quite  certain  that  we  are  going  to  be  ex 
changed,  as  he  had  some  time  previous  heard  Major 
Turner  say  that  the  exchange  would  be  almost  certain 
to  come  when  no  one  was  expecting  it.  It  was  also 
argued  by  some  that  the  authorities  would  not  send  us 
off  unless  it  was  for  exchange,  without  allowing  us  to 
take  with  us  those  articles  we  had  received  from  friends 
in  the  Korth.  Verily  those  uniniated  "fresh  fish" 
have  since  had  good  cause  for  changing  their  opinion 
of  the  consideration  and  regard  rebel  officials  had  for 
the  feelings  and  comfort  of  Yankee  prisoners  of  war. 
Very  few.  however,  took  stock  in  exchange,  but  all  were 
glad  to  bid  farewell  to  Libby,  even  though  it  was  to  en 
ter  another  prison. 

It  is  true  we  had  heard  of  the  terrible  ravages  of  dis 
ease  among  our  soldiers  confined  in  the  pest-houses  at 
Danville,  and  of  the  horrors  of  the  Andersonville  prison 
pen.  But  to  those  of  us  who  had  endured  for  a  dozen 
long  months  the  deprivations  of  Libby  life — never,  for 
a  moment,  walking  abroad  into  the  outer  world,  and 
never  breathing  for  once  the  pure  air  of  heaven — any 
change  was  desirable. 

At  one  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  seventh,  they 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  125 

commenced  counting  us  out  of  Libby ;  tbis  operation 
consumed  tbe  time  until  dayiigbt,  as  each  one  was  re 
quired  to  answer  to  his  name  as  he  passed  out.  As  we 
lay  in  Carey  street  in  front  of  the  accursed  building 
within  whose  hated  walls  we  had  been  confined  for  so 
long  a  time,  although  still  surrounded  by  rebel  bayo 
nets,  we  felt  that  we  were  free ;  we  once  more  breathed 
the  fresh,  pure  air,  and  the  beams  of  the  morning  sun 
again  shone  on  us,  what  a  happy  transition,  it  almost 
made  us  feel  that  we  were  going  home,  to  liberty  and 
the  defense  of  our  country.  But  we  were  still  in  the 
hands  of  the  enemy,  and  many  months  of  suffering, 
cold,  hunger  and  semi-starvation  was  yet  in  store  for 
us.  And  many  of  our  number,  alas  !  were  going  to  the 
far  off  South  never  to  return,  and  their  bones  now 
moulder  around  the  prison  hells  at  Salsbury,  Ander- 
sonville,  Macon,  Millen,  Charleston  and  Columbia. 

When  we  bid  good  by  to  Libby,  we  rejoiced  that  we 
were  out  of  the  hands  of  those  fiendish  monsters  in  hu 
man  shape,  General  Winder,  Major  Turner,  command 
ant  of  the  prison,  and  Dick  Turner,  inspector  of  the 
same. 

Soon  after  daylight  our  motley  crowd  of  half  nude 
men  was  marched  to.  the  Danville  depot  to  take  the 
cars  for  that  place.  The  story  that  we  would  have  to 
march  to  Petersburg  being  a  rebel  lie,  for  the  purpose 
of  compelling  us  to  leave  in  the  Libby  prison  the  large 
amount  of  sugar,  coftee,  tea,  &c.,  that  we  had  on  hand, 
and  which  had  been  sent  us  from  home.  When  we 
left  Libby  we  were  placed  under  charge  of  Captain 
Tabb,  of  whom  more  anon. 

Arriving  at  Danville  we  were  crowded  into  two  frame 
buildings,  where  we  were  confined  in  less  than  hali'the 
space  we  had  enjoyed  in  Libby.  In  fact  No.  3  prison, 


126  THE   PRISONER   OF    WAR, 

in  which  I  was  confined,  the  whole  space  allotted  us 
was  completely  covered  at  night  when  all  were  stretched 
out  on  the  floor  to  sleep,  and  even  in  this  crowded  con 
dition  we  were  not  allowed  a  breeze  of  fresh  air,  the 
narrow  windows  being  tightly  boarded  up  two-thirds 
of  the  way  from  bottom  to  top,  consequently  the  high 
temperature  and  impurity  of  the  air  was  such  that  we 
almost  suffocated.  One  evening,  during  our  stay  there, 
the  oppressive  heat  and  fetid  air  became  so  intolerable 
that  one  of  the  prisoners  attempted  to  knock  off  one 
of  the  boards  nailed  over  one  of  the  windows,  and  was 
shot  at  by  the  rebel  guard  on  the  outside  of  the  build 
ing. 

We  remained  at  Danville  only  five  days — about  the 
same  length  of  time  that  Jeff.  Davis  and  the  heads  of 
the  departments  of  the  rebel  government  sojourned 
there  nearly  one  year  afterwards,  when  fleeing  from 
Richmond  with  the  Confederate  capital  in  a  carpet 
bag. 

Before  leaving  Danville  we  were  furnished  by  the 
rebel  commissary  with  one  pound  and  a  half  of  corn- 
bread  and  one-half  pound  of  bacon,  and  this  is  all  we 
received  until  we  arrived  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  three 
days  afterwards,  consequently  those  who  had  to  depend 
on  the  rebels  for  subsistence  during  the  time  (and  this 
was  nearly  all)  were  absolutely  in  a  famishing  condi 
tion ;  yet,  notwithstanding  this,  we  were  not  permit 
ted  to  purchase  provisions  of  the  numerous  peddlers 
and  hucksters  who  crowded  around  the  train  at  the 
depots  and  stations  at  which  we  stopped  along  the 
route. 

At  Augusta  we  discovered  that  Macon  was  our  in 
tended  destination.  Up  to  this  time  we  had  no  idea 
where  we  were  going,  though  there  were  many  rumors 


AND    HOW   TREATED.  127 

current  in  regard  to  this  all-important  matter.  One 
would  say  that  he  had  it  from  good  authority  that  we 
were  going  to  Savannah  to  be  exchanged,  while  an 
other  would  report  that  he  had  it  from  the  same  source 
that  "Texas  would  be  our  journey's  end." 

Arrived  at  Macon  May  Seventeenth,  1864,  one  year 
and  one  day  from  the  time  we  entered  Libby — a  years' 
imprisonment.  We  could  scarcely  realize  the  fact  that 
so  many  of  us  still  survived  the  hardships  and  suffer 
ing  of  those  dozen  lonely,  cheerless  months,  and  when 
we  remembered  the  friends  whom  we  had  seen  carried 
out  to  their  final  resting  places  during  that  time,  we 
could  not  repress  a  fearful  shudder  in  contemplation  of 
the  fate  awaiting  ourselves. 

Crowds  of  citizens  and  soldiers,  full  of  eager  curi 
osity,  were  soon  collected  around  the  cars  to  get  a 
glimpse  of  the  distinguished  arrivals.  From  them  we 
learned  that  the  "  Old  Fair  Grounds,  a  delightful  place," 
had  been  put  in  order  for  our  reception.  This  was 
glorious  news.  Was  it  possible  that  we  were  no  longer 
to  be  encompassed  by  brick  walls  and  iron  grates? 
that  we  were  soon  to  have  the  privilege  of  breathing 
the  pure  air,  and  enjoying  the  bright  sunshine? 

Two  long  lines  of  guards  are  formed  on  one  side  of 
the  train,  we  are  then  counted  out  of  the  cars  and  in 
between  these  lines  of  sentinels.  Soon  as  all  are  off 
the  train,  we  are  ordered  forward.  We  are  well  pleased 
with  the  description  given  of  our  prospective  home  for 
the  next — we  dare  not  say  how  many  months,  for  the 
very  contemplation  sends  a  thrill  of  terror  through  the 
frame,  and  sickens  the  heart — perhaps  another  year; 
each  one  thinks,  probably,  his  home  only  for  a  few  days 
or  weeks,  for  many  of  his  comrades  have  sickened  and 
died,  and  it  may  be  his  time  next. 


128  THE    PRISONER   OF    WAR, 

We  tramp  along  the  dusty  street  around  by  the  Gov 
ernment  machine  shops  and  foundry,  in  the  vicinity  of 
which  was  located  the  "Macon  Stockade,"  a  huge  roof 
less  pen,  containing  about  three  acres,  made  of  boards 
sixteen  feet  in  length,  nailed  perpendicular  and  close 
together  to  a  railing  supported  by  posts  set  in  the 
ground.  Outside  of  this  was  a  plank  walk,  upon  which 
the  sentinels  were  posted  every  ten  feet,  and  on  the  east 
and  south  sides  were  two  large  platforms,  upon  which 
cannon  were  mounted.  Inside  about  fifteen  feet  from 
the  outer  enclosure,  was  a  picket  fence,  called  the  "dead 
line,"  which  prisoners  were  riot  allowed  to  approach  or 
touch  under  penalty  of  being  shot. 

"We  had  complimented  ourselves  that  we  had  got  out 
of  the  hands  of  Major  Turner,  and  that  other  villain 
of  the  same  name,  christened  Richard,  now  "chewing 
the  cud  of  sweet  and  bitter  fancies"  in  the  cell  in 
which  he  had  delighted  to  starve  and  torture  so  many 
unfortunate  prisoners  of  war,  while  in  authority  at 
Libby  Prison.  But  we  soon  found  out  that  we  had 
gained  but  little  by  the  change,  for  Captain  Tabb, 
Commandant  of  the  Macon  prison,  was  possessed  of 
an  equally  cruel,  vindictive  and  arbitrary  nature  as  the 
Turners,  or  Lieutenant  La  Touche,  without  the  intelli 
gence  or  executive  ability  of  either,  and  was  besides  a 
drunkard  and  thief. 

The  prisoners  sometimes  bartered  with  the  rebel 
guards,  exchanging  watches,  finger-rings,  knives,  and 
other  valuables  for  Confederate  money,  with  which 
we  could  buy  a  few  articles  at  exorbitant  prices  from 
the  sutlers.  Captain  Tabb,  by  some  means,  learned  of 
these  transactions  with  the  guards,  and  issued  an  order 
to  the  effect  that  any  prisoner  talking  to  or  tampering  ic 
any  manner  with  the  guard,  would  be  severely  punished 


AND    HOW   TREATED.  129 

also,  that  if  we  had  anything  to  dispose  of,  he  would 
take  it  out  and  sell  it  for  us,  at  the  price  put  on  it  by 
the  owner,  or  otherwise  return  it.  One  of  the  pris 
oners  gave  him  a  watch  and  chain  to  sell  for  four  hun 
dred  dollars,  charging  him  particularly  not  to  dispose 
of  it  for  less.  After  a  few  weeks  had  elapsed  he  was 
questioned  as  to  the  matter,  when  he  replied  that  he 
had  sold  them  for  two  hundred  dollars.  The  officer 
noticed  that  he  was  wearing  the  chain  himself,  and 
interrogated  him  as  to  how  he  came  by  it,  to  which  he 
made  answer  that  the  purchaser  gave  it  to  him.  The 
officer  then  demanded  of  Tabb  the  return  of  his  prop 
erty,  or  the  amount  in  money  that  he  had  ordered  him 
to  sell  it  for,  at  the  same  time  threatening  an  exposi 
tion  of  the  affair  unless  the  demand  was  complied  with. 
Upon  which  Captain  Tabb  took  him  out ,  and  after 
abusing  him  with  the  most  shameful  and  insulting  epi 
thets,  had  him  " bucked"  for  three  hours.  The  arti 
cles  were  finally  restored. 

The  rations  issued  us  in  this  prison  were  slightly  bet 
ter  than  we  had  been  before  receiving.  Instead  of  the 
hard  corn  bread  we  got  in  Libby,  and  which  Lieuten 
ant  Pavey  wrote  to  one  of  his  friends  in  the  naval  ser 
vice  would  make  excellent  gunboat  plating,  we  received 
a  pint  of  corn  meal  per  day,  which,  with  a  little  salt 
and  soda  that  we  could  purchase,  we  could  make  quite 
palatable,  in  fact  it  was  really  astonishing  to  see  the 
variety  of  dishes  manufactured  from  corn  rneal ;  among 
them  we  might  mention  corn-pone,  corn  cakes,  corn 
fritters,  corn-meal  duff,  corn-meal  pudding,  corn  coffee 
and  corn  dumpling-s.  We  also  received  about  two 
ounces  per  day  of  rancid  bacon,  which,  for  the  want  of 
salt,  had  been  packed  in  wood  ashes.  Our  rations  were 
occasionally  changed,  when  in  lieu  of  the  above  arti- 
(9) 


130  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

cles,  we  got  a  little  rice  and  a  few  "  nigger  peas,"  each 
of  which  was  the  habitation  of  one  or  more  animate 
beings. 

Our  facilities  for  cooking  and  washing  were  not  very 
extensive.  The  following  were  given  to  each  squad  of 
one  hundred  men  :  eight  skillets  with  covers,  four  camp 
kettles,  thirteen  wash-pans  and  four  wooden  buckets. 

Cooking  out  of  doors  in  the  hot  sun,  the  rain,  or  the 
wind  and  dust,  is  not  very  conducive  to  amiability,  and 
under  these  circumstances  many  churlish  husbands 
have  vowed  never  again  to  find  fault  with  their  better 
half,  when  the  roast  was  a  little  over-done,  or  the  bis 
cuit  like  themselves,  somewhat  sad. 

A    UNION   OFFICER   MURDERED. 

Just  at  dark  of  the  evening  of  June  seventeenth,  an 
officer  belonging  to  the  Forty-fifth  New  York  Volun 
teers,  returning  from  the  spring  where  he  had  been  for 
a  pail  of  water,  was  shot  by  one  of  the  guards  on  duty 
at  that  part  of  the  prison.  He  was  carried  up  to  his 
quarters  and  every  aid  and  assistance  rendered  him  that 
was  in  our  limited  power  to  give,  but  the  poor  fellow 
died  before  midnight.  There  were  several  prisoners 
near  by  and  standing  around  him  when  shot,  but  none 
of  them  could  assign  any  reason  for  the  act  but  the  in 
tention  to  commit  a  willful  murder. 

The  senior  officer  in  prison  wrote  to  Captain  Gibbs, 
who  was  then  in  command,  having  some  days  previous 
relieved  the  unprincipled  Tabb,  desiring  that  the  cir 
cumstances  connected  with  the  affair  be  investigated. 
The  communication  was  returned,  with  the  following 
insulting  indorsement:  "  Such  investigation  as  may  by 
me  be  deemed  proper,  will  be  made  in  this  case.  "  A 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  131 

few  days  after  we  learned  that  the  guilty  homicide  had 
been  promoted  to  be  a  Sergeant,  and  given  thirty  days' 
furlough.  It  was  generally  understood  that  rewards 
of  this  kind  were  constantly  held  out  to  the  sentinels 
on  duty  for  like  service. 

It  is  surprising  to  witness  the  ingenuity  and  tact  a 
prisoner  will  bring  into  requisition  to  effect  an  escape, 
and  the  industry  and  patient  toil  and  perseverance  he 
will  display  to  accomplish  that  object.  BothatMacon 
and  Columbia  two  or  three  of  the  prisoners  blacked 
themselves  and  passed  out  as  negro  workmen.  At 
Macon  one  bribed  the  negro  driver  of  the  Sutler's 
wagon,  and  was  taken  out  in  a  box,  while  another  se 
cured  himself  to  the  coupling  pole  and  hounds  of  the 
same  wagon  and  was  hauled  out  in  that  manner,  finally 
getting  through  to  our  lines.  Others  with  more  pa 
tience  and  perseverance,  but  less  tact  and  daring,  tried 
tunneling,  and  at  least  a  half-dozen  of  these  subtera- 
neous  passages  were  under  operation  at  the  same  time. 
The  mouth  of  the  tunnel  was  in  some  one  of  the  sheds 
or  shanties  occupied  by  a  portion  of  the  prisoners,  usu 
ally  under  their  beds;  in  one  or  two  instances  they 
were  started  from  the  place  where  fires  were  built  in 
the  day  time  for  our  culliuary  labors,  so  that  when  the 
Inspector  passed  through  the  prison,  a  blazing  fire, 
with  pots  and  kettles  hanging  over  it,  in  which  were 
being  cooked  our  rice  or  black  worm-eaten  beans,  con 
cealed  the  entrance  to  the  tunnel. 

But  here,  as  in  Libby,  we  had  traitors  in  our  midst, 
men  wearing  the  uniform  of  the  United  States  army, 
who  for  a  less  reward  than  Judas  received  for  betray 
ing  his  Lord  and  Master,  divulged  to  the  rebel  authori 
ties  the  plans  and  schemes  of  their  fellow-prisoners  to 
escape  from  the  jaws  of  death.  On  the  strength  of  the 


132 

information  thus  obtained,  a  search  was  instituted  by 
the  Commandant  of  the  prison,  which  unmasked  our 
work  and  dashed  the  fond  hopes  we  had  indulged  in 
for  weeks  of  home  and  liberty,  to  the  earth. 


CHAPTER  X. 


REMOVAL   FROM  MACON. 

Toward  the  latter  part  of  July  General  Sherman 
made  his  famous  cavalry  raid  into  the  interior  of  Geor 
gia,  passing  around  Atlanta  and  striking  the  railroads 
east  of  Macon.  Some  days  previous,  in  consequence 
of  the  rapid  advance  of  Sherman  on  Atlanta,  and  the 
probability  that  he  would  soon  occupy  that  city,  which 
would  render  Macon  untenable,  the  rebel  authorities 
commenced  moving  the  prisoners  to  Charleston.  Two 
trains,  loaded,  had  already  gone  to  that  place,  and  the 
remaining  prisoners,  (about  three  hundred,)  were  aboard 
the  cars  at  the  Macon  depot  the  morning  Stoneman's 
advance  came  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city.  "We  had 
been  marched  out  from  the  prison  at  one  o'clock  A.  M., 
so  as  to  be  ready  for  the  train  to  leave  at  daylight,  an 
event  which  we  were  all  anxiously  and  impatiently 
awaiting,  for  nothing  is  so  irksome  and  annoying  as  to 
be  lying  still  on  a  railroad  train,  especially  when  one  is 
along  with  sixty  or  seventy  companions,  squeezed  into 
a  stock  car  without  seats,  and  with  scarcely  room  to 
stand,  as  was  the  case  with  us.  From  the  guards  we 
learned  that  Stoneman  was  heading  for  the  Savannah 
road,  the  route  over  which  we  would  pass,  which  made 
as  doubly  anxious  to  be  off;  and  while  eargerly  listen- 

am 


134 

ing  for  the  sound  of  the  steam  whistle,  the  signal  for 
our  departure,  we  were  greeted  with  a  noise  of  a  dif 
ferent  kind,  but  to  us  still  more  welcome.  It  wras  the 
report  of  artillery  and  musketry  in  the  hands  of  Union 
soldiers;  joy  thrilled  the  heart  of  every  prisoner.  Our 
friends  had  heard  the  starving  wail  from  Southern 
prisons,  and  had  come  to  the  rescue — happy  day !  How 
we  complimented  ourselves  that  it  had  been  our  for 
tune  to  remain  at  this  place,  while  our  comrades  had 
been  sent  to  a  more  secure  locality.  These  were  our 
first  selfish  thoughts,  but  when  we  remembered  their 
brave,  patient  suffering  through  many  lonely,  weary 
months  of  deprivations,  involuntary  tears  would  start, 
that  they  wei*e  not  with  us  to  enjoy  the  restoration  to 
freedom,  home  and  friends,  which  we  regarded  as  at 
hand.  We  soon  hear  the  report  of  fireams  more  dis 
tinct  and  clear — it  is  from  the  guns  of  the  rebel  sol 
diers,  who  have  gone  out  to  meet  and  dispute  the  en 
trance  of  our  men  to  the  city.  A  few  shells  come 
whizzing  through  the  air  and  land  in  the  suburbs  of 
the  town ;  the  noise  of  the  conflict  becomes  louder 
and  clearer,  by  which  we  know  that  the  rebels  are  fall 
ing  back  on  their  works ;  and  we  feel  sanguine  that  ere 
the  set  of  sun  Union  soldiers  will  have  possession  of 
the  town,  and  rebels  will  occupy  our  old  quarters  in  the 
stockade. 

While  the  fight  is  going  on  we  are  taken  back  and 
turned  again  inside  of  the  prison  pen,  which,  a  few 
hours  before,  we  thought  we  were  leaving  forever. 
This,  however,  did  not  disconcert  us  in  the  least,  for 
we  still  felt  confident  that  Stoneman's  force  would  re 
lease  us.  We  could  yet  hear  the  sharp  crack  of  mus 
ketry  and  booming  cannon  which,  to  us,  was  music 
sweet  as  the  voice  of  a  beloved  wTife  or  affectionate 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  135 

mother.  It  encouraged  us  to  hope  for  deliverance  from 
a  life  of  misery.  We  were  still  cheered  by  the  clang 
of  arms  until  about  two  o'clock  p.  M.,  when  the  sound 
began  to  grow  more  distant  and  faint,  and  finally  died 
away  till  all  was  quiet  as  the  still  morning  air  which  it 
had  first  broken,  and  with  it  died  all  hope. 

Early  next  morning  many  exciting  rumors  were 
brought  into  the  prison  by  rebel  officers  and  guards 
concerning  the  fight  of  the  previous  day,  and  the  fate 
of  General  Stoneman  and  his  command,  some  saying 
that  the  whole  force,  except  Stoneman  and  his  body 
guard,  had  been  captured ;  while  others  affirmed  that 
Stoneman  was  also  a  prisoner ;  and,  although  we  made 
due  allowance  for  the  usual  rebel  exagerations  of  such 
matters,  the  news  had  a  truly  depressing  influence  on 
the  spirits  of  the  prisoners,  as  our  knowledge  of  the 
fact  that  he  was  unable  to  enter  the  city,  was  evidence 
that  he  had  a  large  force  to  contend  against.  On  the 
thirty-first  of  July,  being  surrounded  on  all  sides  by 
an  overwhelming  force  of  General  Wheeler's  cavalry, 
General  Stoneman  was  compelled  to  surrender,  and  the 
day  following  he  and  about  fifty  of  his  officers  were 
consigned  to  the  Macon  prison.  The  undertaking  to 
release  us  was  a  failure,  and  the  brave  officers  and  men 
of  General  Stoneman's  command  lost,  in  the  attempt, 
their  own  liberties,  instead  of  restoring  freedom  to  us. 
On  the  sixteenth  of  August  all  the  prisoners  then  re 
maining  in  Macon,  were  started  for  Charleston,  packed 
in  box  cars,  sixty  officers  and  five  guards  in  each,  on 
the  route  we  suffered  extremely  from  intense  heat  and 
intolerable  thirst,  yet  we  were  not  allowed  to  open  but 
one  side  of  the  car,  nor  leave  the  train,  even  with  a 
guard,  to  procure  a  drink  of  water. 

The  first  lot  of  prisoners  that  left  Macon  for  Charles- 


136 

ton,  previous  to  starting,  organized  a  secret  society, 
with  initiation  oaths,  pass-words,  signs  and  grips,  sim 
ilar  to  the  "  Council  of  Five,"  which,  it  will  be  recol 
lected,  existed  in  Libby  prison ;  the  members  were  di 
vided  into  companies  and  squads,  to  each  of  which  was 
appointed  a  head  or  chief.  Everything  was  in  readi 
ness  for  an  outbreak  whenever  an  opportunity  offered 
for  escape. 

When  the  prisoners  first  learned  the  intention  of  the 
authorities  to  send  us  to  Charleston,  it  was  decided  by 
the  members  of  this  society,  that  the  removal  would 
offer  a  favorable  time  for  carrying  their  plans  into  ex 
ecution.  At  a  preconcerted  signal  to  be  given  at  some 
way-station,  the  guards  inside  and  outside  the  cars, 
were  to  be  seized,  and  their  arms  and  ammunition  se 
cured.  This  would  have  been  a  very  easy  matter,  for 
most  of  them  were  Georgia  militia,  many  of  whom 
would  not  even  have  made  a  show  of  resistance.  The 
train,  in  event  of  success,  was  to  have  been  stopped 
near  Pocotaligo  bridge,  from  which  General  Foster's 
lines  might  easily  have  been  reached,  being  then  only 
ten  or  twelve  miles  distant.  Why  the  plan  was  not  ex 
ecuted  has  never  been  fully  explained.  All  the  details 
of  the  arrangement  were  perfected,  most  of  the  arms 
of  the  guards  were  either  in  possession  of  the  prisoners, 
or  the  caps  removed  from  the  tubes,  and  the  cartridges 
from  the  boxes,  so  that  but  feeble  resistance,  if  any, 
would  have  been  offered ;  in  fact,  it  is  believed  the 
whole  design  could  have  been  consummated  without 
the  loss  of  a  drop  of  blood. 

It  is  alleged  that  it  was  through  the  cowardice  of 
the  officer  chief  in  command  of  the  organization,  that 
the  signal  for  action  was  not  given. 

We  arrived  at  Charleston  on  the  evening  of  August 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  137 

eighteenth;  here,  more  than  in  any  other  city  of  the 
South,  were  the  signs  of  the  desolation  of  war.  It  was, 
indeed,  a  sad  sight  to  behold  the  melancholy  change 
that  the  misguided  people  of  the  South,  by  their  own 
wicked  acts,  had  brought  on  their  once  great  commer 
cial  metropolis.  Whole  rows  of  buildings,  once  the 
finest  stores  and  most  prosperous  portions  of  the  town, 
were  but  sad  evidences  of  ruin,  their  mouldering  and 
decaying  walls  tumbling  piecemeal  with  the  revolution 
of  each  successive  day.  Business,  in  fact,  had  scarcely 
a  name,  while  former  sumptuous  life  and  social  living 
was  transformed  into  a  miserable  misanthropic  exist 
ence.  Hotels  were  deserted,  and  the  side-walks  and 
promenades,  usurped  once  by  fashionable  belles  and 
beaus,  were  but  pathways  for  a  preponderating  crowd 
of  filthy-looking  negroes.  Elegant  ladies,  rolling  in 
luxury  and  wealth,  who  once  wore  silks  and  satins, 
were  costumed  in  calicoes  and  muslins.  Fashion,  as 
regards  dress,  had  deserted  her  throne,  giving  place  to 
the  sway  of  old  styles  and  antiquated,  seedy  garments. 
Cheerfulness  is  no  longer  a  characteristic  of  Southern 
society.  The  crime  of  which  these  people  are  guilty, 
is  one  of  the  greatest  known  to  the  laws  of  our  coun 
try  ;  but  their  punishment  has  certainly  been  already 
in  proportion. 

The  lot  of  prisoners  of  whom  I  was  with,  were  first 
assigned  quarters  in  the  work-house,  a  large  massive 
brick-building,  with  heavy  iron-grated  doors  and  win 
dows.  Until  the  roof  was  riddled  with  shells  from  our 
mortars  on  James'  Island,  the  building  was  the  hapless 
reservoir  of  all  the  unmanageable  negroes  in  the  city 
of  Charleston  and  vicinity,  for  whose  accommodation 
that  portion  of  it  above  ground  was  partitioned  off 
with  heavy  iron  and  timbers  into  cells,  and  that  below 


138  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

into  dungeons.  In  the  rear  of  the  work-house  is  a 
yard  which  we  were  allowed  the  privilege  of  entering 
during  the  day,  but  the  filth  and  stench  was  so  intoler 
able  that  most  of  us  preferred  remaining  inside  the 
gloomy  walls  of  brick  and  mortar,  when  not  compelled 
to  enter  it  to  attend  to  our  culinary  affairs. 

We  remained  here  about  two  weeks,  when  we  were 
transferred  to  the  jail-yard,  where  we  were  associated 
with  the  scum  and  vilest  characters  of  rebeldom — de 
serters  from  both  the  Union  and  rebel  armies,  con 
demned  criminals,  thieves,  assassins  and  prostitutes, 
both  black  and  white. 

'While  at  Macou,  a  few  cooking  utensils  were  furnish 
ed  us,  but  when  we  left  there  they  were  all  taken  away. 
One  of  our  officers,  for  an  attempt  to  smuggle  a  mess- 
pan  through,  was  brutally  punished.  And  as  nothing 
of  the  kind  was  allowed  us  while  at  Charleston,  we 
were,  consequently,  without  the  necessary  vessels  in 
which  to  prepare  the  limited  quantity  of  coarse  food 
furnished  us;  corn-meal  was  issued  to  us  all  the  time 
there,  in  fact,  during  the  whole  of  the  winter  following, 
but  no  stoves,  skillets,  or  anything  of  the  kind  in  which 
to  bake  it.  In  the  Charleston  jail  were  heavy  cast-iron 
spittoons ;  some  of  the  prisoners  bought  these  from  the 
turnkey,  and  converted  them  into  Dutch  ovens,  using 
pieces  of  old  tin,  which  we  bought  of  the  guards,  for  lids 
or  covers.  I  recollect  the  first  pone  "  our  mess"  baked 
in  this  way,  seemed  to  be  the  most  palatable  bread  I 
over  tasted.  Three  weeks'  diet  on  a  scant  allowance 
of*  boiled  rice  and  mush,  both  without  salt,  gave  us  a 
good  appetite  for  corn-dodgers. 

At  Charleston  about  six  hundred  of  our  officers  were 
confined,  though  on  parole,  in  the  Marine  and  Roper 
hospitals.  They  enjoyed  better  accommodations,  and, 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  139 

perhaps,  received  a  little  better  rations  than  we  who 
remained  in  the  work-house  and  jail,  as  the  rebel  offi 
cials  informed  us  they  received  these  favors  on  account 
of  having  given  their  parole  not  to  attempt  escape. 

The  most  gloomy  days  of  my  prison  life  were  passed 
in  this  traitorous  city,  and  the  only  occasions  on  which 
I  could  ever  discover  a  ray  of  pleasure  beaming  from 
the  countenances  of  my  fellow-prisoners,  was  at  night, 
when  crowds  of  them  would  be  collected  around  the 
narrow-grated  windows,  looking  far  away  towards 
the  sea,  watching  the  flashes  from  the  mouth  of  the 
"Swamp  Angel,"  and  following,  with  the  eye,  by  its 
tail  of  fire,  (the  burning  fuse)  away  up  among  the  stars, 
the  beautiful  curve  of  the  destructive  missile  it  hurled 
in  the  bosom  of  the  wicked  and  treasonable  city.  Or, 
when  the  exploding  shells  from  grim  old  Wagner  ig 
nited  some  combustible  matter,  and  communicated  the 
fire  to  the  surrounding  buildings,  when,  between  the 
fright  and  consternation  of  the  negro  firemen,  who 
were  thus  unable  to  check  its  progress,  and  our  prayers 
for  the  flames  to  "  spread  from  house  to  house,"  there 
would  only  remain,  of  the  entire  square  in  which  the 
conflagration  broke  out,  the  black  and  charred  brick- 
walls,  and  ponderous  heaps  of  smouldering  ruins.  These 
were  pleasurable  moments — happy  sights  !  Like  Isfero, 
when  Rome  was  in  flames,  we  could  have  danced  and 
fiddled,  if  the  accursed  city,  from  center  to  circumfer 
ence,  had  been  engulphed  in  the  fiery  element. 

In  the  latter  part  of  September  the  yellow  fever 
made  its  appearance  among  the  prisoners.  Several  of 
my  most  intimate  friends  fell  victims  to  this  terrible 
scourge,  and  it  was  not  until  death  had  marked  them 
for  his,  that  we  could  induce  the  rebel  surgeons  to  re 
move  them  from  the  dark,  dank,  illy- ventilated  cells  of 


140  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

the  work-house  to  the  hospital  for  medical  treatment. 
Unfortunate  sufferers !  noble  friends !  they  died  mar 
tyred  victims  on  the  altar  of  freedom,  and  their  last 
resting  places  on  the  banks  of  the  Ashley  river  re 
mains  unmarked  by  slab  or  stone. 

As  a  sanitary  measure,  considered  necessary  for  the 
general  health  of  the  city,  the  authorities  decided  to 
remove  us  to  Columbia,  the  State  capital  of  South  Car 
olina.  And,  on  the  third  day  of  October,  we  were  or 
dered  to  get  ready  for  the  trip,  but  without  sufficient 
time  being  allowed  to  prepare  the  necessary  food  for 
the  journey,  we  were  hurried  off  to  the  depot,  and 
packed,  as  usual,  sixty  or  seventy  into  a  box  car.  Be 
fore  daylight  next  morning  we  arrived  in  Columbia, 
and  were  corralled  during  the  day  in  a  vacant  lot  ad 
joining  the  depot.  Here,  sick  and  well  alike,  were  ex 
posed  to  the  scorching  rays  of  the  burning  sun,  until 
about  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when  sun  and  sky 
became  obscured  by  terrific  black  clouds  that  poured 
down  incessantly  for  nearly  six  hours  tremendous  tor 
rents  of  rain,  and  many,  coatless,  hatless,  shoeless  and 
without  blankets,  lay  all  that  dreary,  stormy  night  on 
the  cold,  'bare  earth — bare,  only  where  it  was  covered 
with  water,  which  was  the  case  with  nearly  the  entire 
space  assigned  us  for  quarters.  "No  rations  had  yet 
been  issued  us  since  leaving  Charleston ;  it  is  true  most 
of  the  prisoners  still  had  a  portion  of  the  corn-meal 
drawn  the  last  issue,  at  that  place,  but  had  no  utensils 
or  fuel  with  which  to  prepare  it  for  eating.  Had  it 
not  been  for  the  few  pies  and  cakes  and  diminutive 
loaves  of  bread  brought  in  and  sold  at  exorbitant  prices 
by  boys,  old  women,  hucksters  and  peddlers  of  all  de 
scriptions,  our  suffering  from  hunger  would  have  been 
much  greater.  Notwithstanding  the  unreasonable 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  141 

rates  at  which  these  articles  were  sold,  it  was  extremely 
difficult  for  the  feeble  and  weaker  portion  of  our  com 
munity  to  get  a  share,  even  though  they  had  plenty  of 
money.  Starving  men,  no  matter  how  much  benevo 
lence  or  kind  a  heart  they  may  possess,  will  seldom  di 
vide  their  scanty  mite  with  others.  Lieutenant  Clark. 
of  a  New  York  regiment,  in  a  vain  attempt  to  pur 
chase  a  corn-pone  from  a  negro  woman,  who  was  stand 
ing  near  the  guard  with  her  merchandise,  was  merci 
lessly  pierced  in  the  back  with  a  bayonet,  in  the  hands 
of  one  of  the  sentinels,  whose  only  excuse  for  the  cruel 
and  heartless  act,  was,  that  the  Lieutenant  was  nearer 
his  beat  than  the  prisoners  ought  to  go. 

About  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning  after  our  thor 
ough  drenehing,  we  were  marched  out  three  miles 
south  of  the  city,  and  turned  into  a  lot  of  nearly  six 
acres  in  extent.  Here,  if  tents  or  shelter  of  any  kind 
had  been  furnished  us,  we  would  have  had  quite  a  com 
fortable  location,  as  the  camp  was  on  high  ground,  and 
the  water,  from  the  heavy  rains  peculiar  to  the  lati 
tude  of  South  Carolina  during  the  winter  months,  run 
off  freely,  leaving  our  quarters  comparatively  dry ;  be 
sides,  we  had  an  abundance  of  fresh  air,  a  luxury  not 
enjoyed  in  any  of  the  rebel  prisons  in  which  we  had 
been  previously  confined.  But,  if  we  had  this  advant 
age  here,  there  were  other  inconveniences  (besides 
miserable  quarters  and  scant  fare  which  were  character 
istic  of  all  Confederate  prisons)  that  quite  counterbal 
anced  it;  for  instance,  there  was  neither  wood  nor 
water  to  be  had  in  camp,  and  only  six  were  permitted 
to  go  out  at  a  time  for  either,  and  the  same  rule  ap 
plied  to  attending  the  calls  of  nature;  and  opposite 
the  gate  where  we  were  allowed  to  pass  out  for  these 
purposes,  I  have  frequently  seen  as  many  as  one  hun- 


142  THE   PRISONER  OF   WAR, 

dred  and  fifty  men  standing,  anxiously  awaiting  their 
turn. 

This  arrangement  lasted  for  nearly  one  month,  when 
the  guard-line  was  extended  a  few  hours  each  day,  so 
as  to  take  in  the  wood  and  water ;  the  latter  we  pro 
cured  from  a  brook  that  run  within  about  four  hun 
dred  yards  of  our  quarters.  At  first  we  had  to  pick 
up  all  the  wood  we  used,  but  after  some  weeks  a  few 
hatchets  and  axes  were  furnished,  when,  besides  get 
ting  wood  for  fuel,  those  that  knew  how  and  were  able 
to  use  them,  went  to  work  building  cabins  or  shanties 
out  of  pine  poles,  which  they  carried  sometimes  a  mile 
on  their  backs  into  camp.  Very  few,  however,  could 
boast  of  the  luxury  of  a  pine  cabin.  The  most  general 
style  of  architecture  was  to  make  an  excavation  in  the 
ground  two  or  three  feet  deep,  and  as  large  in  diame 
ter  as  the  enterprise  or  material  of  the  builder  would 
allow.  This  hole  was  then  covered  with  poles,  sticks 
and  brush  set  on  their  ends,  on  two  sides,  and  coming 
together  over  the  center.  The  clay  taken  from  the  ex 
cavation  was  then  thrown  on  top  of  these.  They  did 
not  always  keep  the  rain  out,  but,  under  the  circum 
stances,  were  considered  quite  comfortable.  There 
were  a  few  structures  of  this  kind  of  more  aristocratic 
pretensions,  and  could  boast  the  luxury  of  a  chimney 
and  fire-place,  all,  of  course,  built  of  clay. 

Others,  who  could  not  procure  the  use  of  either  axe, 
hatchet  or  spade,  constructed  temporary  screens  from 
wind  and  frost,  by  making  a  lattice-work  of  vines 
and  twigs,  and  thatching  it  with  pine  boughs ;  in  fact, 
the  various  styles  of  cabins,  shanties,  huts  and  caves, 
constructed  here  by  our  own  hands,  and  almost  with 
out  the  use  of  tools  of  any  kind,  were  nearly  as  numer 
ous  and  diversified  as  the  habits  and  opinions  of  the 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  143 

prisoners  who  inhabited  them.  They  were  also  built 
without  auy  regard  to  the  course  of  streets  or  avenues. 
There  were  no  Broadways  or  Wall  streets,  though 
"  stocks "  were  always  in  the  market,  not  petroleum 
or  bank,  but  Exchange  and  Escape,  which,  at  that 
time,  were  of  vastly  more  importance  to  us.  Stocks 
in  Exchange  were  frequently  several  hundred  per  cent, 
nbove  par,  but  in  one  hour  would  go  tumbling  down 
far  below,  when  none  but  the  very  "fresh  fish"  would 
invest. 

Escape  stocks  were  not  susceptible  of  such  wonder 
ful  contraction  and  expansion,  and  run  more  regular, 
being  always  above  par,  and  during  the  first  two 
months  at  Camp  Sorghum  (the  name  given  this  prison 
in  honor  of  the  large  quantity  of  molasses  of  that  de 
scription  issued  us  at  this  place)  over  three  hundred 
Yankee  officers  realized  on  it.  Many  more  tried  their 
fortunes,  but  had  been  recaptured ;  in  fact,  they  were 
escaping  and  being  brought  back  every  day. 

Tunneling,  bribing  the  guards,  and  all  the  old  dodges 
heretofore  alluded  to,  were  tried;  and  of  extremely 
dark  nights,  it  was  a  wise  precaution  of  the  prisoners 
to  keep  close  to  mother  earth,  as  at  such  times  balls 
from  the  guns  of  the  sentinels  on  duty  were  constantly 
whizzing  over  the  camp,  having  been  hurriedly  dis 
charged  by  the  excited  sentinels,  over  whose  beats  ad 
venturous  and  daring  Yankees  were  constantly  pass 
ing. 

Two  of  our  officers,  attempting  to  gain  their  freedom 
in  this  way,  were  killed  and  several  wounded ;  and  one 
night  they  killed  two  of  their  own  men.  Sometimes 
from  three  hundred  to  four  hundred  prisoners  were 
paroled  to  go  outside  the  guard-line  after  wood,  which 
gave  a  favorable  opportunity  for  large  numbers  to  es- 


144  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

cape  in  the  following  manner:  Thos.e  who  had  not 
taken  the  parole,  would  mix  in  with  those  who  had 
done  so,  and  after  getting  in  the  woods,  their  friends 
would  cover  them  with  boughs  or  leaves,  and  there  se 
creted,  they  would  remain  until  after  dark,  when  they 
would  emerge  from  their  hiding  places  and  strike  off 
through  the  swamps  for  "  God's  country."  As  many 
as  one  hundred  officers  have  escaped  in  one  day  in  this 
way,  but  the  distance  to  our  lines  was  so  great,  and  the 
citizens  through  the  country  were  ever  on  the  alert 
with  blood-hounds  to  hunt  them  down,  so  that  at  least 
seventy-five  per  cent,  of  all  that  escaped  from  prison, 
were  recaptured  and  brought  back. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


ESCAPE   OF   CAPTAIN    RUSSELL. 

The  following  interesting  and  graphic  sketch,  is 
Captain  M.  T.  Russell's  account  of  his  escape  and  per 
ilous  adventures  through  the  mountainous  districts  of 
Georgia  and  South  Carolina,  en  route  to  the  Union  lines. 
He  was  one  of  the  number  who  escaped  from  Camp 
Sorghum,  as  recorded  in  the  last  chapter. 

Failing  to  make  my  escape  when  Colonel  Streight 
made  his  exit  from  Libby,  very  much  discouraged  me, 
and  for  some  time  I  gave  up  all  hopes  of  ever  getting 
away  from  my  prison  home,  unless  the  Government 
should  change  its  policy  in  regard  to  the  exchange  of 
prisoners,  an  event  which  I  had  no  idea  would  take 
place  as  long  as  Mr.  Stanton  was  retained  as  Secretary 
of  War.  Twelve  months  had  now  elapsed  since  I  en 
tered  the  Libby  prison.  The  work  of  conquering  the 
rebellion  was  rapidly  progressing  in  the  West;  Vicks- 
burg  had  fallen,  and  the  Mississippi  river  was  open  for 
the  navigation  of  our  transports  from  its  source  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico ;  our  armies  were  also  making  rapid 
inroads  into  Georgia,  the  empire  State  of  the  "Confed 
eracy,"  and  General  Grant,  after  having  accomplished 
this  great  work,  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the 
(10)  (145) 


146  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

Army  of  the  Potomac,  an  event  which  satisfied  the 
prisoners — especially  those  belonging  to  the  western* 
army,  who  knew  the  kind  of  metal  Ulysses  was  com 
posed  of — that  the  rebel  authorities  would  not  long 
risk  keeping  us  confined  in  Richmond,  Consequently 
hope  began  to  revive  in  the  bosoms  of  those  who  ex 
pected  to  gain  their  freedom  by  their  own  exertion. 

Plans  for  escape,  in  case  of  removal,  were  now  being 
constantly  projected  and  discussed,  but  no  unity  or  or 
ganization  for  a  general  outbreak  could  be  arrived  at, 
consequently  each  one  was  left  to  act  independently 
and  on  his  own  judgment,  and  if  he  thought  escape 
possible,  to  make  the  attempt. 

At  one  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  May  seventh,  we 
were  ordered  to  get  ready  to  march,  and  one  hour  given 
us  to  accomplish  the  work,  at  the  end  of  which  they 
commenced  counting  us  out  at  the  narrow  door,  and, 
as  though  we  were  so  many  hogs,  the  rebel  Commis 
sary  pitched  a  pone  of  corn  bread  at  each  of  us  as  we 
passed.  As  we  came  out  we  were  placed  between  two 
long  files  of  guards,  running  along  Carey  street,  where 
we  remained  until  the  sun  came  up  from  behind  the 
Richmond  hills — the  first  time  we  felt  his  warm  rays 
for  twelve  weary  months.  We  were  then  marched  to 
the  Danville  depot,  and  packed  into  old  stock  cars  for 
transportation,  sixty  odd  prisoners  and  five  guards  in 
each  car.  The  weather  was  extremely  hot,  water  very 
scarce  and  "grub"  ditto;  and  in  this  condition  we 
traveled  to  Danville,  Virginia,  twenty-four  hours'  jour 
ney,  during  which  time  we  received  water  but  twice, 
and  but  one  half  pint  each  time,  and  that  taken  from  a 
pond  so  filthy  that  a  hog  would  scarcely  wallow  in  it. 
After  being  removed  from  the  train  at  Danville,  the 
rebel  officers  were  very  much  chagrined  to  find  that 


AND   HOW  TREATED,  147 

the  Yanks  had  cut  large  holes  in  the  bottom  of  the 
cars,  and  several  of  the  "  d — nd  rascals  (as  they  were 
pleased  to  call  them,)  gone. 

From  Richmond  to  Danville  the  guard  in  charge  of 
us  was  commanded  by  a  scoundrel  in  the  shape  of  a 
man,  whom  they  called  Captain.  From  his  deport 
ment  and  treatment  of  the  prisoners  on  the  route,  all 
concurred  in  the  opinion  that  if  the  devil  had  any 
agents,  that  this  man  Tabb  was  certainly  one  of  his 
chiefs,  if  not,  his  majesty  had  better  close  business  on 
this  terrestrial  sphere. 

We  were  kept  at  Danville  but  a  few  days,  when  we 
were  again  jammed  in  cars,  (sixty  or  seventy  in  each,) 
and  started  further  South,  and  arrived  at  Macon,  Geor 
gia,  on  the  sixteenth  day  of  May,  1864,  and  placed  in 
a  stockade  for  safe  keeping.  We  at  once  organized 
squads  and  companies  and  commenced  tunneling  pas 
sages  underground,  through  which  to  escape,  and  had 
several  large  ones  nearly  completed,  when  one  of  our 
own  officers  betrayed  our  work  and  plans  to  the  Con 
federate  authorities,  who  soon  placed  a  check  on  our 
operations. 

In  July  we  were  removed  to  Charleston.  An  ad 
mirable  plan  for  escape  on  the  route  was  organized  by 
those  of  us  who  went  on  the  first  train,  but  those  who 
were  appointed  to  lead  and  direct  the  affair,  had  not  the 
courage  to  lead  off.  We  were  kept  at  Charleston 
nearly  three  months  of  the  hottest  season  of  the  year, 
and  all  the  time  under  the  fire  of  our  own  guns.  This 
unprecedented  measure  of  the  rebels  was  done  for  the 
purpose  of  compelling  the  Government  to  an  exchange 
of  prisoners  on  terms  proposed  by  themselves,  but  ex 
perience  taught  them  that  the  United  States  was  not  to 
be  dictated  to  by  rebels. 


148  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

During  the  fall  the  yellow  fever  made  its  appearance 
among  the  prisoners,  in  consequence  of  which  we  were 
removed  to  the  city  of  Columbia,  where  we  were  placed 
in  an  old  field,  with  a  single  guard  line  around  us. 
Now,  1  thought,  was  my  time  to  make  another  effort 
to  reach  "  God's  country,"  (the  Union  lines,  being  so 
termed  by  the  prisoners,)  and  at  once  began  operating 
on  the  guards,  and  soon  found  that  if  I  was  cautious, 
and  selected  a  good  subject,  that  I  could  bribe  him  with 
a  watch,  or  a  few  Confederate  dollars,  to  let  me  pass 
out.  The  greatest  difficulty  that  presented  itself  was, 
how  could  I  subsist  in  a  strange  land,  where  I  dare  not 
stop  at  the  house  of  a  white  man,  as  immediate  arrest 
and  confinement  would  be  my  inevitable  doom.  It 
would  not  do  for  the  eye  of  a  white  man,  woman  or 
child,  to  see  me,  as  legions  of  blood-hounds,  double- 
barrelled  shot-guns,  old  men  and  boys,  conscript  offi 
cers  and  Provost  Marshals,  would  at  once  be  in  pursuit; 
besides,  it  was  at  least  four  hundred  miles  to  the  Union 
lines,  by  the  shortest  route  that  could  be  taken,  and  my 
clothing  was  much  worn,  and  very  thin;  I  was  without 
good  shoes,  and  at  this  season  of  the  year  I  could  but 
expect  cold  weather,  even  in  South  Carolina,  and  much 
severer  when  I  reached  the  mountains.  Rivers  and 
large  streams  were  also  to  be  crossed,  and  I  knew  that 
all  the  principal  bridges  and  fords  were  guarded  by  the 
enemy,  for  the  purpose  of  catching  deserters  from  their 
own  army,  and  runaway  negroes.  Notwithstanding 
all  these  difficulties,  I  determined  on  making  another 
effort  to  gain  my  freedom,  even  if  it  should  cost  me 
my  life — "  Liberty  or  Death,  "  was  now  my  motto.  In 
the  first  place,  I  must  raise  the  wherewithal  to  bribe 
the  sentinel,  and  on  making  a  thorough  examination 
of  my  valuables,  I  found  them  to  consist  of  one  pocket- 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  149 

comb,  a  brass  button,  silver  pen-holder  and  gold  pen 
point;  these  constituted  my  store  of  worldly  goods, 
and  with  them  I  proceeded  to  drive  a  bargain  with  one 
of  the  chivalry  and  escape  their  clutches  for  a  short 
time,  at  least.  We  had  an  opportunity  of  conversing 
with  the  guards  when  they  came  in  to  attend  roll  call, 
and  on  one  of  these  occasions  I  selected  a  boy  from 
one  of  the  companies,  and  proceeded  to  form  an  ac 
quaintance  with  him.  At  first  he  was  not  very  com 
municative,  but  I  directed  the  conversation  in  regard 
to  his  manner  of  procuring  subsistence,  asking  him  if 
he  lived  exclusively  on  the  rations  furnished  by  the 
rebel  Commissary.  He  replied  that  he  was  compelled 
to  do  it,  as  he  was  without  money  wherewith  to  procure 
anything  else.  I  remarked  to  him  that  I  had  a  good 
gold  pen  and  silver  holder,  both  worth  at  least  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  in  Confederate  money,  and 
which  I  would  give  him  if  he  would  let  me  pass  his 
beat  some  dark  night.  He  finally  agreed  to  the  propo 
sition,  provided  I  would  promise  on  honor  not  to  be 
tray  him  in  case  I  was  re-captured  and  brought  back, 
to  which  I  of  course  agreed,  and  began  preparations 
for  my  departure.  From  a  friend  who  had  sold  his 
watch  to  one  of  the  guards,  I  borrowed  ten  dollars  in 
Confederate  money.  With  this  I  purchased  from  the 
Sutler  one  quart  of  salt,  and  some  matches ;  I  also 
baked  my  five  days'  rations  of  corn-meal,  which,  when 
done,  made  about  three  pounds  of  bread.  For  a  hav 
ersack  to  carry  it  in,  I  took  an  old  flannel  shirt  and 
tied  the  lower  extremity  with  a  string,  like  a  bag,  and 
the  sleeves  together,  to  swing  over  my  shoulder. 

Three  days  after,  the  soldier  with  whom  the  arrange 
ment  was  made,  guarded  me  with  several  others  out 
side  the  lines,  to  procure  wood  for  fuel.  The  same 


150  THE    PRISONER   OF    WAR, 

morning,  however,  a  large  number  of  the  prisoners 
were  put  on  parole  of  honor  not  to  escape,.by  the  Com* 
mandant  of  the  prison,  and  allowed  to  go  out  for  the 
same  purpose.  Soon  as  a  favorable  opportunity  offered 
for  me  to  pass  the  guard  whom  I  had  bribed,  without 
being  observed  by  the  other  sentinels,  I  stepped  up  to 
him  and  gave  him  the  pen  and  pen-holder,  and  passed 
out  and  made  a  straight  line  for  the  nearest  pine 
thicket,  almost  fearing  to  look  back  lest  I  was  observed 
by  others  of  the  rebel  guard,  and  by  them  returned  to 
the  prison. 

I  traveled  through  the  thicket  about  four  miles,  when 
I  came  to  a  swamp.  I  went  into  this  several  hundred 
yards,  and  found  a  large  pine  log  laying  up  out  of  the 
water,  upon  which  I  crawled,  intending  to  remain  there 
until  after  dark,  but  I  had  riot  long  been  concealed  here 
until  I  heard  some  one  walking  through  the  water. 
From  the  direction  whence  the  noise  proceeded,  and  its 
gradual  nearer  approach,  I  supposed  that  it  was  the 
rebels  on  my  track,  and  quietly  as  possible  slipped  off 
the  log  on  the  opposite  side  from  the  direction  the 
sound  came.  I  had  b.een  in  this  position  but  a  short 
time  when  I  discovered  approaching  me,  instead  of  an 
armed  rebel  with  a  pack  of  blood-hounds,  one  of  my 
old  prison  companions,  Lieutenant  Frank  A.  Lakin,  of 
the  Eighteenth  Indiana  Infantry,  an  officer  with  whom 
I  had  been  confined  in  the  various  prisons  of  the  Con 
federacy  for  one  year  and  a  half.  I  knew  that  he  would 
do  to  depend  upon  in  the  perilous  and  toilsome  work 
before  us;  young,  active,  brave  and  full  of  fire,  and 
when  he  once  made  up  his  mind  to  do  a  thing  he  never 
gave  it  up  until  it  had  been  accomplished,  unless  some 
unavoidable  streak  of  bad  fortune  interposed.  There 
was  no  officer  among  all  the  prisoners  with  whom  I  had 


AND    HOW    TREATED.  151 

been  confined  that  I  would  have  preferred  as  a  com 
panion  on  the  hazardous  journey  before  me.  We  con 
sulted  together  as  to  the  best  route  to  be  taken  to  reach 
our  lines.  Soon  as  it  was  dark  we  started  out,  intend 
ing  to  strike  the  road  leading  from  Columbia  to  Lex 
ington  ;  we  had  not  traveled  far,  however,  when  the 
sky  became  very  much  clouded,  obscuring  the  north 
star,  by  which  we  were  directing  our  course,  but  we 
continued  to  travel,  without  guide  or  compass,  until 
about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  the  clouds 
cleared  away,  and  we  discovered  that  we  were  going  in 
the  wrong  direction.  We  accordingly  changed  our 
course,  and  again  set  out  for  the  road  before  mentioned, 
and  which  we  finally  found.  We  traveled  very  cau 
tiously  for  some  considerable  distance,  and  at  length 
came  to  a  guide-board,  which  we  hailed  with  joy,  as 
it  was  a  silent  director  that  would  not  betray  us;  it  was 
so  dark,  however,  that  it  availed  us  nothing  without 
some  little  ingenuity,  so  I  squared  myself  in  front  of 
the  post  with  my  hands  on  my  knees  and  with  my 
shoulders  stooped  over,  while  Frank  mounted  my  back, 
crawled  up  and  struck  a  match  and  examined  the  di 
rections  on  the  board,  when  he  discovered  that  we  were 
just  five  miles  from  Columbia  and  seven  miles  from 
Lexington,  and  had  traveled  hard  all  night;  but  we 
determined,  if  possible,  to  pass  the  latter  place  before 
daylight — the  grey  streaks  of  light  just  making  their 
appearance  in  the  east  when  we  came  to  the  suburbs  of 
the  village.  We  now  held  a  council  of  war,  and  de 
cided  that  our  best  plan  was  to  go  direct  through  town, 
so  we  walked  very  briskly  up  Maine  street,  encounter 
ing  on  the  way  several  noisy  dogs,  which  alarmed  us 
considerabty,  lest  they  should  be  the  means  of  arousing 
the  citizens,  as  lights  were  already  visible  in  many  of 


152  THE    PRISONER    OF   WAR, 

the  houses ;  but  we  passed  through  safe!}-,  and  soon 
came  to  a  dense  pine  thicket,  into  which  we  went 
some  two  or  three  hundred  yards  and  stopped  near  a 
large  pond,  where  we  raked  some  leaves  together  for  a 
bed  and  lay  down  tired  and  foot-sore  to  rest,  and  did 
not  awake  until  near  sunset. 

After  making  a  hasty  toilet  by  washing  in  the  pond 
and  drying  our  faces  on  the  leaves  and  dead  grass,'  we 
sat  down  to  partake  of  my  loaf  of  corn  bread  which 
still  remained  untouched,  and  as  neither  of  us  had 
tasted  a  morsel  for  twenty-four  hours,  it  was  very 
palatable.  At  dark  \ve  again  started  on  the  road, 
and  when  we  came  near  a  house  always  flanked  it,  so 
as  not  to  be  observed  by  the  dogs.  We  traveled  all 
night,  and  next  morning  went  into  the  woods  again,  >to 
conceal  ourselves,  and  rest  and  sleep ;  but  we  were  so 
hungry  that  sleep  with  me  was  impossible.  While 
pondering  where  our  next  provisions  were  to  come 
from,  I  suddenly  heard  the  noise  of  a  bell  and  bleating 
of  sheep.  I  remarked  to  my  friend  Frank  that  we 
had  better  capture  and  slaughter  one,  as  we  could  live 
very  well  on  its  flesh,  even  if  we  had  no  bread.  He 
thought  it  would  be  impossible  to  catch  one  of  them, 
and  turned  over  in  the  leaves  to  sleep.  But  Frank's 
opinion  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding,  I,  was  deter 
mined  to  have  some  mutton  for  breakfast,  and  gath 
ered  my  salt  bag  and  started  toward  the  sheep.  Salt 
being  a  luxury  to  which  rebel  sheep  had  not  been  of 
late  accustomed,  the  whole  flock  was  soon  collected 
around  me,  some  licking  salt  from  my  hands.  Just  at 
this  moment  Frank  raised  up,  and  seeing  that  the  pros 
pect  for  mutton  was  very  good,  yelled  out :  "  Catch  a 
fat  one,  Milt."  I  made  a  grab  and  caught  a  very  nice 
lamb.  Soon  as  he  discovered  that  I  had  secured  the 


AND    HOW    TREATED.  153 

prize,  he  started  toward  me  at  the  rate  of  "2:40"  with 
the  old  caseknife,  with  which  we  soon  dispatched  the 
juvenile  sheep,  and  when  dressed  found  it  to  be  very 
fat  and  tender.  We  had  no  water  to  either  wash  our 
hands  or  mutton,  but  we  kindled  a  fire  and  a  portion 
of  the  carcass  was  soon  on  it  roasting,  and  the  savory 
slices  of  mutton  alone,  made  us  a  delightful  breakfast; 
after  which  we  lay  down  to  sleep,  and  did  not  awake 
until  near  sunset. 

We  immediately  commenced  preparations  for  another 
night's  march,  but  before  starting  we  cutout  the  best 
pieces  remaining  of  the  lamb's  carcass,  and  put  them  in 
my  haversack  for  our  subsistence  the  next  day.  We 
had  not  traveled  far  before  we  both  felt  the  evil  effects 
of  eating  so  much  meat  without  bread,  and  Frank 
swore  "by  the  Eternal"  he  would  never  taste  mutton 
again.  Journeyed  all  night  without  any  incident  of 
note.  About  daylight  in  the  morning  we  came  to  a  se 
cluded  place,  where  we  went  into  bivouac,  and  lay  down 
to  sleep  without  eating,  the  breakfast  of  the  previous 
morning  still  weighing  heavy  on  our  stomachs.  When 
we  awoke  up  in  the  evening,  and  before  starting  on 
the  tramp,  Frank  remarked  that  he  believed  "  he  could 
eat  a  little  more  of  that  sheep,"  provided  it  was  cooked 
in  any  other  manner  than  by  being  broiled  on  the 
coals. 

Before  it  was  quite  dark  we  were  again  on  the  tramp, 
and  early  in  the  evening,  while  flanking  a  large  farm 
house  that  stood  near  the  road,  we  accidentally  found 
ourselves — very  much  to  our  satisfaction — in  a  sweet 
potato  patch,  and  at  once  set  about  digging  the  pre 
cious  roots,  about  a  half  bushel  of  which  we  tied  up  in 
Frank's  old  jacket,  and  proceeded  to  the  next  planta 
tion.  Near  one  of  the  huts  we  discovered  a  negro 


154  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

woman  washing  by  the  burning  light  of  a  few  pine  fag 
gots  collected  in  a  pile  by  her  side.  We  remained  in 
concealment  watching  her  for  about  twenty  minutes, 
when  she  started  off  towards  the  house.  We  then  cau 
tiously  approached  the  fire,  and  Frank  shouldered  the 
kettle  she  had  been  using  and  carried  it  off  about  a 
mile  to  a  pond,  surrounded  by  a  dense  thicket,  and  it 
was  not  long  ere  we  had  it  swung  over  a  bright  fire  of 
blazing  pine  knots,  filled  with  a  goodly  quantity  of 
sweet  potatoes  and  the  remains  of  our  mutton.  In 
about  two  hours  later  we  were  partaking  of  one  of  the 
most  delicious  feasts  of  food  to  which  I  ever  sat  down. 
Frank's  forty-eight  hours'  fasting  had  entirely  obliter 
ated  from  his  mind  the  memory  of  his  vow  not  to  eat 
sheep.  After  partaking  to  our  satisfaction,  we  filled 
our  haversacks  with  the  remainder  and  started  on  the 
march,  forgetting,  however,  to  return  the  old  woman's 
kettle. 

As  near  as  possible,  we  kept  a  direct  course  for  Knox- 
ville.  Before  we  left  the  prison  at  Columbia  I  pro  • 
cured  an  old  pocket-map  of  the  Southern  States,  of 
which  I  made  a  copy  on  a  sheet  of  foolscap  paper.  It 
was,  of  course,  very  incorrect,  but  answered  our  pur 
pose,  as  it  gave  us  some  idea  of  the  distances  from 
point  to  point,  and  the  localities  of  the  principal  towns. 
We  still  followed  the  old  plan  of  traveling  after  night, 
and  laying  by  in  the  woods  and  thickets  during  the 
day  time. 

Three  days  and  nights  thus  passed  without  incident 
or  adventure  of  any  kind,  at  the  end  of  which  we  found 
our  commissary  department  in  a  very  unfavorable  con 
dition  for  promoting  the  health  and  strength  of  two 
ravenous  individuals  as  Frank  and  myself.  It  was  the 
third  morning  after  we  had  boiled  the  mutton  and  po- 


AND    HOW   TREATED.  155 

tatoes  before  mentioned,  that  we  were  aroused  from 
our  slumbers  by  the  side  of  a  fire  we  had  built,  by  the 
neighing  of  a  horse.  We  both  instantly  sprang  to  our 
feet,  and  about  one  hundred  yards  distant  discovered  a 
negro  coming  towards  us  on  horse-back,  drawn  hither, 
as  we  afterwards  learned,  by  the  smoke  of  our  fire.  He 
came  up  to  within  a  few  yards  of  us  and  then  suddenly 
stopped,  evidently  considerably  frightened ;  and,  al 
though  we  had  determined  not  to  reveal  ourselves  to 
any  one,  either  black  or  white,  we  at  once  saw  that  we 
must  make  friends  with  this  man,  and  accordingly  en 
tered  into  conversation  with  him  and  informed  him  of 
our  true  character.  He  solemnly  promised  not  to  be 
tray  us  to  his  master,  but  on  the  contrary  pledged  him 
self  to  assist  us  in  every  way  in  his  power.  We  told 
him  that  we  were  very  hungry,  and  out  of  provisions. 
He  then  left  us,  but  returned  in  about  an  hour,  bring 
ing  with  him  a  basket  full  of  roasted  potatoes  and  a 
small  piece  of  corn  bread,  saying,  that  was  all  he  had, 
but  we  were  welcome  to  have  it.  He  was  very  intelli 
gent,  and  during  our  conversation  with  him,  remarked 
that  as  we  were  sacrificing  so  much  for  the  free 
dom  of  him  and  his  race,  he  thought  it  no  more  than 
his  duty  to  do  all  in  his  power  for  our  safety  and  com 
fort.  He  also  gave  us  much  information  in  regard  to 
the  roads  and  country,  and  with  tearful  eyes  bid  us 
good-bye.  The  provisions  he  gave  us  lasted  two  days, 
after  which  we  were  one  day  without  anything  to  eat, 
and  were  consequently  getting  so  hungry  that  I  pro 
posed  making  a  foray  on  seme  plantation  and  steal 
something,  but  Frank  stoutly  protested  against  thiev 
ing  since  the  stolen  sheep  he  had  partaken  so  heartily 
of  had  made  him  sick. 
We  traveled  two  nights  with  out  anything  to  eat  ex- 


156  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

cept  a  few  persimmons,  and  was  now  on  the  road  the 
third  day  almost  exhausted  from  hunger  and  fatigue, 
but,  about  ten  o'clock,  we  came  to  a  large  plantation; 
we  then  halted  and  held  a  council  of  war,  when  it  was 
decided  to  cautiously  approach  one  of  the  negro  huts, 
from  which  the  whizzing  sound  of  a  large  spinning- 
wheel  in  motion,  proceeded ;  we  stealthily  crawled 
up,  and,  through  a  chink  in  the  wall,  could  discover  a 
negro  woman  spinning  cotton ;  we  then  went  around 
to  the  opposite  side  of  the  house,  and  knocked  at  the 
door,  upon  which  interruption  the  wheel  suddenly 
stopped,  and  the  old  woman  cried  out,  "Who's  dat?" 
We  replied,  in  a  low  tone,  that  we  were  friends,  and 
requested  her  to  let  us  in,  when  she  yelled  out,  "Who's 
dat  at  de  door?"  We  replied,  as  before,  and  finally 
persuaded  her  to  open  the  door,  when  we  stepped  in, 
and  Frank  proceeded  to  tell  her  that  we  were  Confed 
erate  soldiers  on  furlough,  nearly  starved,  and  wanted 
something  to  eat;  while  he  was  speaking  the  old  ne- 
gress  interrupted  him,  saying,  "  Gemen,  you  can't  fool 
dis  chile ;  I  knows  who  you  is';  I  knows  you  is  Yan 
kees,  'cause  I  see  de  buttons  on  dat  jacket,"  pointing 
to  Frank's  old  blue  blouse  which  served  the  double 
purpose  of  coat  and  shirt,  and  which  still  retained  two 
or  three  brass  buttons,  the  same  as  worn  on  the  uni 
form  of  the  United  States  soldiers.  We  acknowl 
edged  to  her  that  we  were  escaped  Union  prisoners; 
she  then  set  to  work,  and,  in  a  short  time,  prepared  a 
bountiful  supply  of  corn-bread  and  roasted  sweet  pota 
toes  ;  she  also  set  before  us  a  fine,  fat  opossum,  nicely 
baked,  and,  between  Frank  and  myself,  we  made  that 
'possum  disappear  in  a  very  short  time. 

All  the  darkies  on  the  plantation  came  in  to  see  us, 
bringing  with  them,  for  us,  their  little  mite  of  provis- 


AND    HOW   TREATED.  157 

ions.  Afte  we  had  finished  our  suppers  and  rested 
our  weary  limbs,  one  of  the  darkies  volunteered  his 
services  to  pilot  us  ten  miles  on  the  road,  which  we 
gladly  accepted.  After  the  ten  miles  had  been  gone 
over,  he  turned  us  over  to  another  negro  who  went 
with  us  about  five  miles;  by  this  time  it  was  nearly 
daylight,  and  we  were  placed  by  the  last  guide  under 
the  care  of  a  third  negro  who  conducted  us  about  one 
half  mile  to  a  dense  pine  thicket,  where  we  lay  con 
cealed  during  the  day. 

Soon  after  dark  our  negro  protector  returned,  and 
with  him  nearly  a  dozen  men  and  wromen  of  his  own 
color,  each  bringing  something  for  us  to  eat;  they  had 
corn-meal,  coffee,  corn-cake,  fresh  pork,  sweet  potatoes 
and  cabbage ;  to  us  it  was  truly  a  feast,  and  we  done  it 
ample  justice. 

Before  starting  on  the  road,  we  took  each  of  these 
ignorant,  but  loyal  and  zealous  colored  people,  by  the 
hand,  and  bid  them  a  kind  and  friendly  good  by;  in 
fact,  the  slaves  were  the  only  class  of  people  we  could 
call  friends,  in  the  whole  State  of  South  Carolina. 

The  third  day  after  parting  with  the  crowd  of  ne 
groes  last  referred  to,  we  were  discovered  by  a  white 
man,  the  first  white  face  we  had  seen  since  leaving  the 
prison.  The  old  man  came  on  us  accidentally,  and  was 
about  as  much  alarmed  at  the  collision  as  we  were,  but 
my  friend,  Lieutenant  Lakin,  volunteered  to  act  as 
spokesman,  and  confidently  rushed  out  towards  the  in 
truder  on  our  privacy  with  extended  hand.  The  old 
man,  after  gaining  his  self-possession^  questioned  Frank 
pretty  closely,  but  he  replied  promptly  and  apparently 
satisfactorily,  and  stated  to  him  that  we  belonged  to 
General  Lee's  army,  and  had  been  in  service  since  the 
beginning  of  the  war;  that  when  our  first  term  of  en- 


158  THE    PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

7 

listment  expired,  we  were  promised  thirty  days  fur 
lough  if  we  would  re-enlist,  and  that  we  did  so,  but  the 
leave  of  absence  was  never  granted,  and  we  had,  con 
sequently,  resolved  to  go,  without  permission,  and  see 
our  families  who  were  at  home  suffering;  that  we  in 
tended  to  remain  there  just  thirty  days,  and  would  not 
be  taken  back  in  less  time  by  any  d — d  home  guards 
in  South  Carolina. 

"We .then  appealed  to  the  old  man's  sympathies,  when 
he  said  that  he  did  not  blame  us,  and  promised  that  he 
would  do  nothing  to  betray  us;  and  I  believe  the  old 
fellow  kept  his  promise,  for  we  remained  there  all  day 
without  further  molestation. 

The  next  night,  about  twelve  o'clock,  wre  met  two 
negroes  in  the  road,  who  informed  us  that  two  miles 
further  ahead  there  was  a  company  of  Confederate  sol 
diers  watching  for  deserters:  we  accordingly  left  the 
road,  and,  taking  the  North  star  for  our  guide,  we  pro 
ceeded  through  swamps  and  over  hills  until  we  came 
to  Broad  river;  this  we  must  cross  at  all  hazards,  and 
the  only  alternative  was  to  wade  and  swim;  so,  into 
the  cold,  rapid  stream  we  plunged,  the  water  striking 
us  around  the  neck,  and  so  chilly  that  I  thought  we 
would  freeze  before  reaching  the  opposite  bank,  but  we 
got  through  safely,  and  started  oft'  on  a  brisk  walk, 
which  soon  got  up  a  circulation,  and  we  felt  quite  com 
fortable  "ban-in"  a  little  dampn ess. 

We  now  felt  quite  safe,  and  began  to  talk  earnestly 
ot  the  happy  hours  we  would  soon  enjoy  with  the 
" loved  ones  at  home."  "But  man  proposes  and  God 
disposes."  The  following  night,  while  resting  in  a 
thicket,  two  or  three  hundred  yards  from  the  road  on 
which  we  had  been  traveling,  we  were  suddenly  startled 
by  the  loud  yelping  of  hounds  not  a  great  distance  from 


AND    HOW    TREATED.  159 

us.  We  knew,  at  once,  that  the}'  were  on  our  track, 
but  as  we  had  left  the  road  by  a  right  angle,  we  had 
hope  that  the  dogs  would  here  lose  the  scent,  and  keep 
the  main  road,  but  we  reckoned  without  our  host,  for, 
in  a  moment,  the  whole  pack,  of  at  least  a  dozen  fierce- 
looking  blood-hounds  were  upon  us ;  escape  was  now 
impossible,  for  any  attempt  to  move  would  have  caused 
the  dogs  to  take  immediate  hold  of  our  persons. 

While  in  this  dilemma,  about  twenty-five  of  the  chiv 
alry  made  their  appearance,  armed  with  shot-guns, 
knives,  pistols  and  clubs ;  they  at  once  made  a  peremp 
tory  demand  for  us  to  surrender,  and  not  feeling  able 
to  combat  successfully  both  dogs  and  men,  we  at  once 
complied  with  the  modest  request. 

The  manner  and  bearing  of  these  Southern  cavaliers 
towards  us  after  we  were  in  their  power  was  disgusting 
in  the  extreme.  They  seemed  to  think  that  they  had 
accomplished  one  of  the  most  gallant  deeds  of  the  war, 
and  declared  they  would  never  submit  to  "  Yankee 
rule." 

Ropes  were  brought  out  to  tie  our  hands  and  feet, 
but,  after  searching  us  thoroughly,  and  satisfying  them 
selves  that  we  had  no  arms,  they  concluded  that  there 
were  enough  of  the  party  to  guard  us  to  Anderson  jail 
without  adopting  this  measure.  They  marched  us  to 
Anderson  court-house,  seventeen  miles  distant,  when 
they  turned  us  over  to  the  provost  marshal  of  the  dis 
trict,  who  confined  us  in  the  jail  at  that  place  for  five 
days;  and  while  there  we  had  many  calls  from  the  cit 
izens,  both  men  and  women,  whose  curiosity  to  see  a 
"  real  live  Yankee"  prompted  them  to  make  the  vis 
its;  the  negroes,  also,  were  anxious  to  see  us,  and  one 
evening  some  half  dozen  of  them  were  permitted  by 
the  jailor  to  come  in  where  we  were;  they  had  a  vio- 


160  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

lin  in  the  party,  upon  which  they  gave  us  several  very 
cheering  airs.  Lieutenant  Lakin  being  somewhat  of  a 
musician,  took  the  instrument  in  his  hands,  and,  to  the 
great  delight  of  the  darkies,  gave  them  a  touch  of 
"Yankee  Doodle."  When  ready  to  depart,  they  in 
sisted  on  the  jailor  for  permission  to  leave  the  fiddle 
with  us.  We  could  not  understand  the  reason  of  this 
strange  request,  and  our  curiosity  was,  consequently, 
somewhat  aroused;  so,  after  being  left  to  ourselves,  we 
made  a  thorough  examination  of  the  instrument,  when, 
to  our  great  surprise  and  delight,  we  found  inside  of  it, 
thirty-nine  dollars  (Confederate  currency)  secreted 
there  by  the  negroes  for  our  benefit. 

On  the  morning  of  the  seventh  day  of  our  incarce 
ration  in  the  jail  at  this  place,  we  were  taken  out,  and, 
under  heavy  guard,  sent  back  to  our  old  quarters  at 
Camp  Sorghum,  Columbia.  Notwithstanding  the  blus 
tering  threats  of  the  rebel  officials  to  severely  punish 
any  prisoner  who  made  a  second  attempt  at  escape,  we 
resolved  on  another  effort  to  reach  the  Union  lines 
whenever  opportunity  ofiered.  Before  we  got  ready 
for  the  second  trial,  the  following  order  was  communi 
cated  to  the  prisoners  then  confined  in  Camp  Sor 
ghum  : 

"  HEADQUARTERS,  S.  C.,  GEORGIA  AND  FLORIDA, 

"Charleston,  November  17/A,  1864. 

"COLONEL  MEANS,  COMMANDING  FEDERAL  PRISONERS  AT 
COLUMBIA:  The  Lieutenant  General  directs  that  you 
report  to  these  headquarters  the  name  of  every  officer 
arid  man  who  escapes  from  your  custody ;  also,  that 
you  notify  the  Federal  officers  that  they  must  give  their 
parole  not  to  attempt  to  escape,  or  they  will  be  con- 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  161 

fined  in  a  pen  in  the  same  manner  the  privates  now 
are.  Very  Respectfully, 

"Your  Ob't  Serv't, 

«R.  C.  GILCHRIS, 
" Acting  Ass't  Adft  Geril" 

We  at  first  feared  that  the  majority  of  our  fellow- 
prisoners  would  be  in  favor  of  taking  the  parole  desig 
nated  in  the  above  order,  in  which  case  we  would  also 
be  obliged  to  do  likewise,  or  be  placed  in  a  position 
where  escape  would  be  impossible,  and  death,  ere  long, 
inevitable.  No  attention,  however,  was  paid  to  the  or 
der,  and  the  status  of  the  prisoners  remained  as  before. 
The  want  of  a  pen,  no  doubt,  being  the  only  reason 
that  it  was  not  carried  into  effect. 

In  a  few  days  I  had  arrangements  all  completed  for 
a  second  escape  from  rebel  custody.  With  a  portion 
of  my  share  of  the  money  the  negroes  smuggled  to  us 
while  in  jail  at  Anderson  court-house,  I  bought  from 
the  sutler  a  few  matches  and  a  pint  of  salt,  after  which 
I  had  remaining,  in  good  rebel  shinplasters,  ten  dol 
lars,  with  which  I  bribed  a  guard  to  let  me  pass  hia 
beat,  I  agreeing  to  keep  the  contract  strictly  secret, 
and  to  crawl  on  my  hands  and  feet  from  the  dead  line 
out  beyond  the  line  of  guards,  and,  before  starting,  to 
pitch  a  rock  towards  him  as  a  signal  that  I  was  ready, 
when,  if  all  was  right,  he  would  pitch  it  back.  With 
this  understanding,  a  short  time  after  dark,  the  ap 
pointed  evening,  I  started  from  my  hut  to  the  desig 
nated  spot  for  me  to  pass  out.  I  walked  up  to  as  near 
the  dead  line  as  I  dare  go,  and  stopped;  it  was  very 
dark,  and  raining,  and  I  could  scarcely  see  ten  feet 
from  where  I  stood  ;  but  I  pitched  a  rock  as  per  agree 
ment  towards  the  place  I  thought  the  guard  ought  to* 


162  THE    PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

be.  I  then  got  down  close  to  the  ground  and  remained 
perfectly  still  until  a  rock,  the  welcome  messenger  that 
announced  that  all  was  well,  came  splashing  through 
the  mire  towards  me.  I  hesitated  not  a  moment,  but 
started  on  "all  fours"  through  the  mud  for  the  senti 
nel,  who,  simultaneously  commenced  whistling  the 
popular  air  of  "Dixie;"  whether  it  was  to  drown  the 
pangs  of  a  guilty  conscience,  or  to  keep  up  my  spirits, 
I  am  not  able  to  say,  but  freely  confess  that  I  felt  very 
much  the  need  of  something  to  bolster  up  my  courage, 
for  I  feared  he  might  let  me  approach  within  a  few 
feet  of  him  and  then  fire  at  me;  but  I  kept  on,  and 
finally  got  up  to  where  the  fellow  was  standing,  arid 
handed  him  the  money  ;  he  merely  remarked,  as  he  re 
ceived  it,  that  I  must  not  fool  him,  as  some  of  the  other 
prisoners  had  done,  who,  instead  of  giving  him  money 
as  they  passed  out,  handed  him  a  roll  of  old  paper. 

I  continued  io  crawl  on  my  hands  arid  feet  for  some 
distance  before  assuming  an  erect  position,  and  when 
I  did  so,  I  started  oft'  and  run  for  about  two  hun 
dred  yards  at  a  speed  that  would  throw  Flora  Temple's 
best  time  far  in  the  shade.  I  then  sat  down  in  the 
bushes  and  began  pondering  over  "the  situation  ;  "  no 
money,  scarcely  any  clothing,  no  provisions,  and  no 
friends.  While  thus  meditating,  and  feeling  very  blue, 
I  was  startled  by  the  sound  of  some  one  walking  through 
the  bushes.  I  instantly  dropped  on  the  ground  to  con 
ceal  m3'self  from  observation  ;  as  the  object  making  the 
noise  drew  nearer,  I  could  distinguish  that  the  person, 
be  he  who  he  might,  was  a  Federal  officer,  bent  on  the 
same  object  as  myself.  I  then  arose  to  my  feet,  and, 
addressing  him  in  a  low  tone,  inquired  who  he  was? 
This  was  such  a  sudden  surprise  that  he  jumped  as  if 
he  had  been  shot  at,  but  when  he  discovered  that  I  was 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  163 

alone,  he  stopped  and  confronted  me,  and  behold  !  who 
should  it  be  but  my  old  friend  and  former  companion, 
Frank  Lakin!  It  was  a  very  unexpected  meeting  to 
both  of  us,  and  we  decided  to  travel  together,  and  over 
the  same  route  we  went  before — Knoxville  being  the 
point  at  which  we  aimed  to  strike  the  Union  lines.  It 
was  a  long  distance,  but,  from  the  information  we  had, 
it  seemed  to  us  the  safest  route  to  freedom.  Our  plans 
and  direction  thus  resolved  on,  we  started  on  the  long, 
weary  journey,  and  traveled  the  whole  night  in  a  cold, 
chilly  rain.  We  journeyed  on  for  several  nights  over 
the  same  roads  that  we  had  marched  before.  Our  ex 
perience  had  been  such  that  we  were  now  fully  posted 
in  regard  to  the  best  manner  for  escaped  Yankee  pris 
oners  traveling  in  the  South  to  procure  provisions,  and 
now  had  no  difficulty  in  keeping  our  commissary  de 
partment  well  supplied,  or,  rather  the  negroes  did  for  us; 
for,  from  them  we  procured  everything  we  wanted  to 
eat ;  if  not  always  as  dainty  as  might  be  desired,  it  was, 
at  least,  palatable  and  wholesome,  and,  by  trusting  im 
plicitly  on  the  slaves,  we  had  no  difficulty  in  getting 
abundance. 

When  within  a  few  miles  of  Anderson  court-house, 
the  place  where  we  had  been  confined  in  jail,  after  our 
recapture  on  the  previous  expedition  we  had  made  in 
this  direction,  we  met  an  old  negro  in  the  road  and  in 
formed  him  who  we  were  and  where  we  were  going; 
he  then  told  us  of  General  Sherman's  movements  in 
Georgia,  adding  that  he  was  "bound  to  take  Augusta," 
and  advised  us  to  change  our  course,  and  try  to  get  to 
Sherman's  army.  He  also  told  us  that  he  was  going 
to  start  for  Augusta  next  morning  with  a  wagon  and 
six-mule  team,  and  that  he  could  conceal  us  in  the 
wagon-bed  under  the  fodder,  and  haul  us  safely  to  the 


164  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

city.  'We  consented  to  his  proposition,  and  lay  con 
cealed  in  a  thicket  near  the  barn  until  nearly  daylight, 
when  we  were  aroused  up  by  the  old  negro,  who  was 
preparing  to  leave  for  that  city.  We  got  in  his  wagon, 
and  were  covered  up  with  the  fodder,  the  whip  was  ap 
plied  to  the  mules,  and  we  were  off.  The  road  was 
full  of  militia,  on  their  route  to  Augusta  also,  to  which 
place  they  were  going,  as  they  said,  to  help  defend  it 
against  "Sherman's  host  of  blue  bellies." 

We  had  not  gone  but  a  few  miles  before  we  caught 
up  with  a  regiment  of  infantry ;  several  stragglers  be 
longing  to  it  got  on  the  wagon — they  on  top  of  the  fod 
der,  and  we  underneath — was  not  very  comfortable  to 
us,  but  we  had  to  "grin  and  bear  it,"  and  in  this  posi 
tion  we  rode  until  night,  making  about  twenty  miles 
during  the  day.  Shortly  after  dark  the  regiment  which 
had  been  traveling  with  us  all  day,  went  into  camp, 
and  the  wagon  was  then  cleared  of  rebel  soldiers ;  the 
darkey  drove  on  a  mile  further,  and  we  also  went  into 
bivouac  near  the  road. 

The  next  morning  we  again  crawled  in  the  wagon, 
and  was  again  covered  with  the  fodder,  and  started  out 
before  daylight  in  advance  of  the  rebel  troops,  who  had 
been  a  source  of  so  much  annoyance  to  us  the  day  be 
fore.  About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  within 
a  few  miles  of  Augusta,  we  were  met  by  a  squad  of 
rebel  soldiers ;  our  negro  friend  inquired  of  them,  "If 
de  Yankees  got  Augusta  yet ;  "  they  replied  in  the  neg 
ative,  and  wanted  to  know  why  he  asked  the  question. 
The  negro  replied  that  he  was  "Mighty  'feard  dem  ar 
Yankees  was  in  <le  town." 

This  conversation  ended,  the  soldiers  passed  on,  and, 
after  they  had  got  well  out  of  sight,  we  jumped  out  of 
the  wagon  and  went  into  the  woods,  the  darkey  driv- 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  165 

ing  on  to  Augusta.  We  crossed  the  Savannah  river 
seven  miles  above  the  city,  and  soon  after  struck  the 
railroad  running  from  Atlanta  to  Augusta;  here  we 
came  in  contact  with  another  negro  from  whom  we 
learned  that  Sherman  was  at  Milledgeville ;  he  also 
gave  us  a  copy  of  the  Augusta  Daily  Chronicle,  and 
from  what  we  learned  from  it,  we  drew  the  conclusion 
that  Sherman's  intended  destination  was  Savannah, 
and,  consequently,  the  best  plan  for  us  to  adopt,  would 
be  to  flank  Augusta,  and  get  some  position  in  advance 
of  Sherman's  forces,  and  then  lay  by  at  the  hut  of  some 
friendly  negro  until  our  army  came  up;  with  this  in 
tention  we  traveled  that  night  and  next  day,  making 
a  complete  circle  of  the  city,  and  again  striking  the 
Savannah  river  fifteen  miles  below  it;  here  we  pro 
cured  an  old  canoe  and  tried  navigation,  but  it  leaked 
so  badly  that  we  were  compelled  to  abandon  it  and 
travel  by  land,  and  next  day  we  arrived  at  Millen,  the 
junction  of  the  Macon  and  Savannah  with  the  Augusta 
railroad  ;  here  we  learned  from  a  negro  some  additional 
particulars  in  regard  to  the  march  of  "Mr.  Sherman's 
company,"  who,  he  informed  us,  had  passed  there 
nearly  a  week  previous;  we  were,  consequently,  in 
Sherman's  rear  instead  of  his  front  as  we  had  antici 
pated,  and  had  to  travel  seventy-five  miles  over  the 
same  country  that  his  immense  army  had  passed. 

The  first  twenty-four  hours  on  this  route  convinced 
us  that  we  would  have  great  difficulty  obtaining  pro 
visions,  as  corn-meal,  bacon,  sweet  potatoes  and  every 
thing  else  that  could  be  eat,  had  been  pressed  by  Sher 
man's  hungry  Yankees ;  the  negroes  had  also  nearly 
all  followed  the  army,  so  that  we  could  no  longer  ob 
tain  subsistence  from  them,  nor  their  invaluable  ser 
vices  as  guides.  We  were  suffering  extremely  from 


166  THE   PRISONER   OP  WAK, 

hunger,  when  we  fortunately  found  two  ears  of  corn  in 
a  fence  corner,  where  a  cavalry 'soldier  had  fed  his 
horse.  We  built  a  fire  and  parched  it  on  the  cob,  and 
with  the  addition  of  a  little  salt,  made  a  very  excellent 
meal. 

The  fourth  night  we  traveled  in  this  direction  we 
came  to  a  wide  slough,  over  which  had  been  a  railroad 
bridge,  but  whose  black  and  charred  timbers  now 
floated  on  top  of  the  stagnant  stream ;  a  number  of 
these  we  collected  together  and  proceeded  to  construct 
a  raft  on  which  to  cross  to  the  opposite  bank ;  when 
completed,  a  piece  of  telegraph  wire  was  fastened  to 
it,  and  my  traveling  companion,  Frank,  got  aboard, 
pushed  it  out  in  the  stream,  and  soon  landed  safely 
on  the  other  side  of  the  water.  With  the  piece  of  wire 
attached  to  it,  one  end  of  which  I  held  in  my  hand,  I 
pulled  the  frail  craft  back  to  my  side,  got  on  board, 
and  started  over  to  rejoin  Frank,  but,  when  near  the 
middle  of  the  stream,  the  treacherous  craft  split  in  two 
parts,  and  much  to  the  gusto  of  Lakin,  let  me  to  the 
neck  in  the  cold,  icy  water;  but  I  was  more  alarmed 
for  Frank  than  myself,  as  his  violent  laughter  at  my 
sudden  immersion,  gave  me  sufficient  grounds  to  fear 
a  collapse  in  the  vicinity  of  his  commissary  depart 
ment. 

I  finally  waded  out  safe  and  whole,  though  terribly 
wet  and  cold.  Our  situation  was  now  very  critical,  and 
required  the  exercise  of  the  greatest  caution  on  our 
part;  otherwise  we  were  almost  certain  to  be  recap 
tured,  as  Wheeler's  cavalry  was  now  between  us  and 
our  own  army.  The  night  following  my  adventures 
by  water,  when,  as  just  related,  I  was  suddenly  ship 
wrecked,  we  were  met  in  the  road  by  a  slave,  who  had 
just  escaped  from  Wheeler's  command.  Our  fortunate 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  167 

meeting  with  this  faithful  fellow,  no  doubt,  saved  us 
our  liberty,  for  we  were  then  within  a  half  mile  of  the 
rebel  pickets,  and  had  we  not  met  with  him,  would 
have  soon  been  close  on  them,  when  it  would  be  too 
late  to  escape. 

Regardless  of  his  own  personal  safety,  this  black 
man,  true  to  the  instinct  of  his  race,  cheerfully  con 
sented  to  pilot  us  around  Wheeler's  pickets,  which  was 
successfully  accomplished  by  wading  and  crawling  for 
two  hours  through  the  miasmatic  swamps  of  the  Geor 
gia  lowland,  and  after  passing  safely  around  the  rebel 
lines  we  selected  an  elevated  spot  of  ground  in  the  in 
terior  of  a  large  swamp,  where  we  lay  down  to  rest 
and  sleep  until  night. 

Frank  was  soon  in  the  land  of  dreams,  but  for  my 
part  I  could  not  sleep.  I  had  an  ill  foreboding  that  all 
was  not  right,  so  instead  of  sleeping  I  kept  watch,  and 
near  noon  I  discovered  a  man  preceded  by  two  large 
blood-hounds,  coming  towards  us.  Their  company,  of 
course,  was  not  at  all  desirable,  but  it  seemed  that 
there  was  no  way  of  avoiding  it,  as  they  still  advanced 
nearer,  and  there  was  no  way  for  us  to  get  out  of  the 
swamp  except  by  the  route  they  were  coming.  I 
awoke  Lakin  and  asked  his  opinion  of  the  situation. 
We  concluded  that  it  was  best  to  remain  perfectly  quiet, 
and  in  case  we  were  attacked  to  defend  ourselves  to  the 
last,  as  we  had  resolved  that  no  one  man  should  take 
us  alive.  The  following  programme  was  agreed  upon  : 
we  both  had  heavy  walking-sticks,  and  Frank  was  to 
engage  the  intruder  in  conversation,  at  the  same  time  I 
would  step  up  behind  him  and  give  him  such  a  blow 
with  my  stick  that  he  would  never  disturb  another 
Yankee.  By  the  time  this  plan  was  decided  upon,  the 
stranger  was  within  forty  yards  of  where  we  lay  con- 


168  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

cealed,  and  keeping  straight  forward  in  the  direction 
he  was  going  would  pass  a  few  yards  to  the  left  of  us. 
We  were  beginning  to  think  ourselves  quite  safe,  and 
that  the  man  would  pass  on  without  noticing  us,  when 
one  of  the  hounds,  snuffing  the  air,  set  up  a  terrible 
bo-hoo  and  he  turned  to  look  after  the  dogs,  and  dis 
covered  us.  We  instantly  jumped  up  and  endeavored 
to  engage  him  in  conversation,  but  the  nearer  we  ap 
proached  him  the  faster  he  walked,  till  at  length  he 
struck  a  brisk  trot,  and  soon  disappeared  in  the  dense 
pine  thicket.  We  dared  not  remain  longer  here,  as  we 
knew  this  fellow  would  soon  alarm  the  whole  neigh 
borhood,  when  all  the  old  men  and  boys,  furlough ed 
soldiers,  negroes  and  dogs  in  the  country,  would  be  in 
pursuit.  Consequently,  we  changed  our  base,  estab 
lishing  ourselves,  as  we  thought,  in  a  more  secure  place 
in  another  swamp ;  but  we  had  not  occupied  this  new 
line  of  defense  long  when  we  heard  in  the  distance  the 
well-known  toot  of  the  hunter's  horn,  which  apprised 
us  of  the  fact  that  they  were  preparing  for  the  chase, 
and  ere  long  we  distinctly  heard  the  whining  bark  of 
the  hounds  and  yells  of  the  men,  as  they  came  in  hot 
pursuit,  till  they  arrived  at  the  edge  of  the  water  where 
we  entered,  which  broke  the  scent,  and  they  could 
track  us  no  further.  From  our  concealed  position  we 
^could  see  every  movement  they  made ;  in  the  posse  we 
counted  fifteen  men,  but  the  number  of  hounds  was  be 
yond  computation. 

The  party  at  length  divided  and  started  in  opposite 
directions  around  the  swamp,  to  discover,  if  possible, 
where  we  left  it,  not  supposing  that  we  were  still  hid 
in  its  dark  recesses.  Soon  as  they  disappeared  we  left 
our  place  of  concealment,  and  made  for  the  railroad, 
which  we  fortunately  struck  at  a  point  where  the  track 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  169 

had  not  been  torn  up,  and  here  found  a  hand-car  which 
we  took  possession  of,  and  started  at  full  speed  in  the 
direction  of  Savannah.  "We  went  six  miles  this  way 
when  we  had  to  abandon  the  car,  on  account  of  the 
track  being  destro}Ted.  Leaving  the  car  we  sought  a 
safe  retreat,  as  usual,  in  a  swamp,  where  we  remained 
until  dark,  and  again  started  on  the  march.  This,  we 
confidently  hoped,  would  be  our  last  night's  travel,  as 
we  were  satisfied  that  we  were  now  so  close  to  Sher 
man's  army  that  we  could  reach  it,  no  ill  fortune  inter 
veiling,  by  daylight  next  morning.  Our  strength  was 
nearly  exhausted  for  want  of  food,  but  the  thought  of 
home  and  freedom  nerved  us  to  the  work,  and  we  kept 
on  until  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  we 
had  grown  so  weak  that  it  seemed  impossible  to  move 
another  rod.  We  had  eaten  nothing  for  four  days  but 
the  two  ears  of  corn,  before  mentioned,  and  now  we 
reeled  and  staggered  like  drunken  men  ;  we  could  stand 
erect  no  longer,  and  fell  exhausted  by  the  side  of  the 
road,  so  fatigued  that  sleep  soon  overcome  us. 

About  daylight  we  were  aroused  by  the  sound  of 
reveille  on  the  drums  in  Sherman's  camps;  this  was 
music  so  sweet,  and  sent  such  a  thrill  of  joy  through 
our  hearts,  that  we  forgot  hungry  stomachs,  weary 
limbs  and  sore  feet,  and  we  sprang  lightly  up  and 
started  with  light  hearts,  to  the  camp  of  the  Union 
army.  Two  hours'  march  brought  us  to  the  picket  line 
of  General  Sherman's  army — language  fails  to  express 
my  feelings,  when,  for  the  first  time  in  nearly  two  years, 
I  beheld  the  glorious  old  flag. 

We  were  conducted  to  General  Sherman's  headquar 
ters,  and  were  kindly  received  by  him  and  the  officers 
of  his  staff.  The  General  provided  us  with  clothing 
and  provisions,  and  also  furnished  us  transportation  to 


170  THE    PRISONER    OF    WAR, 

the  City  of  "Washington.     We  ivere  free  now,  and  no 
thanks  to  E.  M.  Stanton,  for  our  liberty. 

MILTON  T.  RUSSELL, 
Captain  Fifty-First  Indiana  Volunteers. 

£  uU 


CHAPTER  XII. 


REMOVAL   FROM    CAMP    SORGHUM. 

Although  we  were  set  down  in  this  place  the  first  of 
October  without  shelter  or  habitation  of  any  kind,  and 
without  tools  or  material  to  construct  any  sort  of  pro 
tection  against  the  chilling  wintry  blast,  yet  by  the  first 
of  December,  by  indefatigable  energy  and  persever 
ance,  assisted  by  our  Yankee  ingenuity,  we  had  built  a 
city  that  could  boast  as  many  styles  of  architecture  as 
Gotham  itself.  Axes,  spades  and  hatchets,  were  bought 
at  enormous  prices  from  the  rebel  guards,  and  of  our 
scant  allowance  of  wood  for  fuel,  we  saved  out  the 
best  building  timber  of  which  frames  were  made,  and 
covered  with  dirt  and  leaves.  Our  huts  and  cabins 
constructed,  we  were  settling  down  into  comparatively 
comfortable  winter  quarters;  too  much  so,  the  rebel 
officials  thought,  for  the  welfare  of  Yankee  prisoners, 
and  through  the  malignant  nature  of  our  keepers  we 
were  removed  to  the  vacant  grounds  connected  with 
the  Insane  Asylum,  in  the  city  of  Columbia.  Here  we 
were  again  without  shelter,  and  thinly  clad,  exposed  to 
stormy  winds,  rain  arid  frost;  and  this,  too,  after  those 
of  us  who  were  able  to  do  a  stroke  of  work  had  assid 
uously  employed  the  months  of  October  and  Novem 
ber  erecting  winter  quarters.  It  is  true  a  few  thousand 

(171) 


172  THE    PRISONER   OF    WAR, 

feet  of  lumber  was  here  given  us,  also  tools  to  build 
barracks,  but  when  we  left  there  in  February,  there 
had  not  been  lumber  enough  furnished  to  shelter  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men,  leaving  nearly  one  thousand 
without  quarters,  except  such  as  they  procured  and 
erected  without  assistance  from  the  authorities  having 
us  in  charge. 

"We  suffered  extremely  while  in  the  "Asylum  Prison" 
for  want  of  fuel,  one  small  stick  per  day  for  each  mess 
of  five  being  all  that  was  allowed  us.  Our  rations 
while  in  Columbia  were  also  inferior  in  quality  and  less 
in  quantity  than  we  had  before  received  at  any  of  the 
prisons  in  which  we  had  been  confined;  two-thirds  of  a 
pint  of  coarse  corn-meal,  grain  arid  cob  both  ground 
together  and  unbolted,  and  a  gill  of  sorghum  molasses 
for  each  man,  was  all  that  we  received  for  a  day's  ra 
tion.  E"ot  an  ounce  of  meat  during  the  whole  winter 
did  they  issue  us — it  was  corn  for  breakfast,  corn  for 
dinner,  and  corn  for  supper,  if  we  had  any,  which  was 
seldom,  for  two  scant  meals  per  day  was  as  much  as  our 
rations  would  furnish. 

Some  of  the  officers,  while  here,  had  small  amounts 
of  money  forwarded  to  them  by  their  friends  in  the 
North.  Gold  and  greenbacks  were  retained  in  the  hands 
of  the  rebel  authorities,  and  they  would  occasionally 
give  to  the  parties  to  whom  such  monies  were  credited 
a  few  dollars  in  Confederate  money,  saying  that  so 
much  of  their  gold  had  been  converted  by  the  Quar 
termaster  into  that  kind  of  currency  for  his  (the 
prisoner's)  use.  But  even  in  this  currency  we 
were  never  allowed  more  than  one-half  the  price 
that  gold  was  worth,  or  rather  selling  for,  in  Jeff. 
Davis's  promises  to  pay,  on  the  streets.  For  instance, 
if  a  gold  dollar  was  worth  one  hundred  Confederate 


AND    HOW    TREATED.  173 

dollars  at  the  broker's  office,  the  prisoners  would  get 
from  the  authorities  about  fifty  dollars.  But  a  still 
greater  imposition,  practiced  on  us,  both  at  Columbia 
and  Charleston,  was  the  following:  parties  were  sent 
into  the  prison  with  bundles  of  the  trash  called  Con 
federate  money,  which  they  distributed  at  the  rate  of 
two  dollars  for  one  of  greenbacks,  and  six  dollars  for 
one  of  gold,  which  was  paid  in  drafts  on  our  friends  in 
the  North.  ETot  with  standing  these  exorbitant  rates  the 
famishing  prisoners  were  glad  of  the  opportunity  of 
thus  getting  the  money,  with  which,  worthless  as  it 
was,  we  could  purchase  from  the  sutler  a  little  salt  and 
meat,  and  occasionally  a  few  vegetables;  these,  how 
ever,  were  as  dear  as  the  money  we  paid  for  them. 
The  day  before  I  left  Columbia  I  bought  ten  pounds  of 
bacon,  for  which  I  paid  one  hundred  and  ten  dollars;  a 
pair  of  coarse,  half  made  shoes,  one  hundred  and  thir 
ty-five  dollars;  a  pint  of  salt,  two  dollars,  and  a  box 
of  matches,  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents. 

Our  amusements  in  the  "Asylum  Prison"  varied  but 
little  from  what  they  had  been  in  the  other  places  in 
which  we  had  been  confined,  except  to  the  various 
games  we  had  previously  played  with  cards,  was  now 
added,  since  the  introduction  of  the  money  above  re 
ferred  to,  the  game  of  faro.  Great  attention  was  also 
devoted  to  music,  and  "Chandler's  String  Band"  was 
an  institution  connected  with  our  prison  life  that  will 
never  be  forgotten.  Its  soul-stirring  strains  were  indel 
ibly  impressed 'on  the  memory  of  the  heart-sore  and 
desponding  prisoners,  whose  gloomy  hours  were  cheered 
by  the  sweet  notes  of  "  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  "  Hail 
Columbia,"  "The  Star  Spangled  Banner,"  and  many 
other  sentimental  and  national  airs.  The  instruments 
used  by  the  above  named  band  were  purchased  by  the 


174  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

prisoners  in  Charleston,  and  consisted  of  a  bass  viol, 
two  violins  and  a  flute,  costing  an  average  of  three 
hundred  dollars  each,  which,  exorbitant  as  it  is,  was  in 
consideration  of  the  potent  influence  they  exercised  as 
sanitary  agents,  a  good  investment.  I  have  seen  many 
a  poor  sufferer,  whom  no  persuasion  of  friends  could  in 
duce  to  leave  his  pallet,  arise  and  hobble  out  to  where 
the  band  was  discoursing  "  We  are  Coming,  Father 
Abraham,"  "Yankee  Doodle,"  or  "Down  with  the 
Traitor."  Adjutant  Byer's  "  Sherman's  March  to  the 
Sea"  was  also  one  of  the  most  popular  airs  among  the 
prisoners.  Being  composed  in  prison  by  one  of  our 
own  number,  all  seemed  to  take  an  unusual  interest  in 
it;  and,  on  this  account,  as  well  as  for  its  beautiful  sen 
timent,  I  insert  the  poem  in  this  volume : 

SHERMAN'S  MARCH  TO  THE  SEA. 

BY    LIEUTENANT    BYERS,    FIFTH    IOWA   CAVALRY. 

Our  camp  fires  shone  bright  on  the  mountain, 

That  frowned  on  the  river  below, 
While  we  stood  by  our  guns  in  the  morning 

And  eagerly  watched  for  the  foe, 
When  a  rider  caine  out  of  the  darkness 

That  hung  over  mountain  and  tree, 
And  shouted — u  Boys,  up  and  be  ready, 

For  Sherman  will  march  to  the  sea." 

Then  shout  after  shout  for  bold  Sherman 

Went  up  from  each  valley  and  glen, 
And  the  bugles  re-echoed  the  music 

That  fell  from  the  lips  of  the  men; 
For  we  knew  that  the  stars  on  our  banner 

More  bright  in  their  splendor  would  be, 
And  that  blessings  from  Northland  would  greet  ua 

When  Sherman  inarched  down  to  the  sea. 


AND    HOW   TREATED.  175 

Then  forward  boys,  forward  to  battle; 

We  marched  on  our  wearisome  way, 
And  we  stormed  the  wild  hill  of  Resaca — 

God  bless  those  who  fell  on  that  day — 
Then  Kenesaw,  dark  in  his  glory, 

Looked  down  on  the  flag  of  the  free, 
But  the  East  and  the  West  bore  our  standard 

When  ISherman  marched  down  to  the  sea. 

Still  onward  we  pressed,  till  our  banners 

Swept  out  from  Atlanta's  grim  walls, 
And  the  blood  of  the  patriot  dampened 

The  soil  where  the  traitor's  flag  falls. 
But  we  paused  not  to  weep  for  the  fallen 

Who  slept  by  each  river  and  tree, 
Yet  we  twined  them  a  wreath  of 'the  laurel 

As  Sherman  marched  down  to  the  sea. 

I 
0,  proud  was  our  army  that  morning 

That  stood  where  the  pine  proudly  towers, 
When  Sherman  said — "Boys,  you  are  weary — 

This  day  fair  Savannah  is  ours." 
Then  sang  we  a  song  for  our  Chieftain 

That  echoed  o'er  river  and  lea, 
For  the  stars  in  our  banner  shone  brighter 

When  Sherman  had  marched  to  the  sea. 

ANOTHER    MOVE. 

Slowly  passed  the  weary  winter  days  of  1864  and 
1865;  the  usual  dull  monotonous  routine  of  every  day 
life  dragged  slowly  along,  and  when  ended  our  only 
consolation  was,  that  we  were  one  day  nearer  freedom 
After  the  fall  of  Atlanta  and  occupation  of  that  city 
by  General  Sherman's  army,  the  local  newspapers 
which  we  had  hitherto  been  allowed  to  receive,  were 
denied  us;  sometimes,  however,  by  paying  the  guard 
five  dollars,  he  would  smuggle  one  of  the  Columbia 


176  .      THE    PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

dailies — a  brown,  dingy  half-sheet — in  camp  to  us, 
whose  contents,  although  they  could  never  be  regarded 
as  reliable,  were  eagerly  devoured  by  the  anxious  pris 
oners,  who  were  starring  for  news  and  mental  food,  as 
well  as  physical  sustenance.  From  these  papers  we 
learned  that  Sherman  had  made  a  triumphant  march 
through  Georgia;  had  consequently  compelled  the 
evacuation  of  Savannah,  and  had  already  with  his  gal 
lant  army,  flushed  with  victory,  crossed  the  Savannah 
river,  and  was,  early  in  February,  rapidly  penetrating 
the  interior  of  South  Carolina.  This  was  to  us  infor 
mation  as  pleasing  as  any  we  could  desire,  except,  per 
haps,  the  announcement  that  a  "  general  exchange  was 
agreed  upon,"  for  although  we  were  not  aware  that  it 
was  Sherman's  intention  to  sweep  through  the  entire 
State,  we  knew  from  our  previous  experience  that  we 
would  not  long  be  allowed  to  remain  in  such  close 
proximity  to  the  Union  armies  ;  and  preparations  were 
accordingly  made  by  most  of  us  to  escape  from  rebel 
custody  whenever  the  move  should  come. 

On  the  twelfth  of  February  we  had  intimations  from 
the  authorities  that  we  would  be  but  a  few  days  longer  in 
Columbia;  and  on  the  fourteenth,  about  six  hundred 
of  us  were  taken  out  of  the  prison  and  marched  to  the 
Charlotte  depot,  packed  in  stock  cars,  and  consigned  to 
Charlotte,  North  Carolina;  but  a  large  number,  in 
cluding  myself,  were  "lost  in  transportation." 

The  forepart  of  the  day  had  been  remarkably  line 
and  pleasant,  even  for  the  mild  and  genial  latitude  of    , 
South  Carolina,  but  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  / 
and  soon  afcer  the  train  left  Columbia,  a  cold,  drizzling 
rain,  such  as  are  frequently  experienced  in  the   high 
latitude  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  commenced 
falling.     This  was  considered   especially  favorable  t'« 


AND   HOW   TREATED. 


177 


the  designs  of  us' who  contemplated  an  escape — a  dark, 
misty  night  being  what  we  most  desired  to  aid  us  in 
such  an  important  undertaking. 


.— -9* 


(12) 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


"OUT   OF   THE   JAWS    OF   DEATH." 

Captain  John  Aigan,  Fifth  Rhode  Island  Artillery; 
Lieutenant  James  F.  Pool,  First  Virginia  Cavalry; 
Lieutenant  II.  "W.  Mosley,  and  myself,  soon  as  it  was 
known  that  we  were  to  be  removed  from  Columbia, 
resolved  to  escape  on  the  route,  together,  and  ac 
cordingly  made  the  usual  preparations,  which  con 
sisted  in  procuring  a  supply  of  matches,  salt  and  pep 
per,  the  last  named  article  to  be  applied  to  our  heels 
when  on  the  march,  for  the  purpose  of  breaking  the 
scent  of  the  hounds,  which  we  anticipated  would  very 
probably  be  put  on  our  trail ;  we  had  also  saved  from 
our  small  allowance  of  daily  rations  a  portion  for  our 
subsistence  on  the  route,  which,  before  leaving  the  pris 
on,  we  carefully  packed  in  Lieutenant  Pool's  haversack. 
Everything  worked  charmingly,  and  in  our  favor;  with 
out  trouble  we  all  got  in  the  same  car  and  secured  seats 
near  the  door,  I  should  more  properly  say  a  standing 
place,  for  it  must  be  remembered  that  Yankee  prisoners 
traveling  over  Southern  railroads,  were  never  put  in 
cars  that  had  comfortable  and  necessary  furniture;  but, 
as  I  was  about  to  say,  we  had  gained  the  desired  posi 
tion,  and  were  determined  to  hold  it  until  a  favorable 

(178) 


AND    HOW   TREATED.  179 

opportunity  for  leaving  the  car  presented  itself,  our 
friends  in  the  rear  whose  corns  we  were  treading,  and 
the  rebel  guards  in  front  whose  blankets  supplied  the 
place  of  rugs  for  our  muddy  feet,  to  the  contrary  not 
withstanding. 

Thus  situated,  we  traveled  for  several  hours  after 
leaving  Columbia,  but  the  reader  will  bear  in  mind  that 
we  were  not  aboard  a  New  York  or  Philadelphia  ex 
press  train,  but  going  at  the  terrific  rate  of  eight  miles 
an  hour  over  a  Southern  road,  in  such  a  deplorable 
state  of  repair  that  in  the  North  it  would  not  be  con 
sidered  safe  to  be  used  even  as  a  side  switch  to  run  a 
construction  train  over;  consequently,  when  night 
came,  we  were  only  a  few  miles  from  the  point  of  our 
departure,  and  about  eight  o'clock  p.  M.,  we  were  stand 
ing  at  a  dead  halt  five  miles  from  Winnsboro,  a  town 
of  considerable  importance  on  the  road  between  Co 
lumbia  and  Charlotte,  the  cause  of  this  detention  being 
a  break  of  some  part  of  the  engine,  and  which  the  en 
gineers  were  industriously  endeavoring  to  repair.  It 
was  now  extremely  cold  and  freezing,  the  drizzling 
rain  which  continued  to  come  down  all  the  afternoon 
and  evening  had  now  turned  to  sleet,  and  was  falling 
very  fast.  The  guards  on  top  of  the  cars  were  so  chilled 
and  benumbed  as  to  be  almost  incapable  of  using  their 
limbs,  while  those  guarding  the  door  were  muffled  up 
in  their  coats  and  blankets,  and  almost  entirely  uncon 
scious  of  surrounding  objects  ;  but  we,  although  thinner 
clad,  and  as  much  exposed,  heeded  neither  cold,  sleet, 
nor  rain.  The  longing  desire  for  liberty  burned  within 
us  and  kept  us  warm  ;  we  felt  that  on  this  night's  ac 
tions  depended  our  liberties;  the  golden  opportunity 
was  now  before  us,  and  we  must  embrace  it. 

It  was  very  dark,  the  train  motionless,  and  the  guards 


180  THE    PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

in  the  door  half  asleep,  while  those  on  the  top  of  the 
car  were  benumbed  with  cold.  "Now  was  our  time," 
remarked  Lieutenant  Mosley,  as  he  quietly  and  unno 
ticed  worked  his  way  between  the  two  guards  in  the 
door,  and  swung  himself  down  to  the  ground.  I  im 
mediately  followed  him.  Alighting  on  terra  firma,  we 
reconnoitered  the  situation,  when  we  discovered  the 
track  where  the  train  was  standing  was  laid  on  a  high 
embankment,  the  banks  of  which  sloped  down  from 
the  rails  on  either  side  forty  or  fifty  feet,  and  were  cov 
ered  with  briars,  brambles  and  various  kinds  of  small 
undergrowth,  and  through  this  we  were  compelled  to 
crawl  to  get  away  from  the  train.  When  I  first  de 
scended  to  the  ground,  I  heard  the  footsteps  of  some 
one  approaching;  to  run,  or  even  move,  I  felt  would 
lead  to  a  discovery  of  our  escape  from  the  cars,  and  I 
therefore  stretched  myself  out  full  length  on  the  muddy 
ground.  I  had  scarcely  assumed  this  undignified  posi 
tion,  however,  when  a  rebel  guard,  who  had  left  one  of 
the  rear  cars  and  was  going  up  to  the  front  to  see  his 
officer,  stumbled  and  fell  squarely  over  me,  his  gun  fall 
ing  out  of  his  hands  and  resting  on  my  arm — thus,  at 
the  very  moment  I  wished  to  be  farthest  away  from 
rebels  and  rebel  bayonets,  I  had  both  in  my  embrace — 
but  the  guard  was  evidently  so  stupefied  that  I  had  no 
reason  to  be  much  alarmed  at  this  adventure.  He  soon 
picked  himself  and  gun  up  arid  went  on,  muttering  that 
he  "believed  he  had  fell  over  somebody ;"  to  me  a  self 
evident  fact,  that  needed  no  assertion  of  his  to  prove. 
Not  wishing  to  be  in  his  way  as  he  returned,  I  started 
on  u  all  fours"  into  the  briars  and  brambles,  which, 
covered  as  they  were  with  frozen  rain  and  sleet, caused 
such  a  cracking  and  noise  as  I  thought  I  never  before 


AND    HOW    TREATED.  181 

heard,  the  rattle  of  musketry  or  booming  report  of 
cannon  seemed  to  be  no  comparison. 

I  was  following  in  the  same  track  and  had  caught 
up  with  my  friend  Mosley,  when  I  discovered  a  light 
moving  along  the  side  of  the  train  and  coming  towards 
us.  Almost  instantly  it  was  opposite  us,  only  on  the 
bank  above,  we  being  at  this  time  about  ten  feet 
from  the  train  and  the  rebel  officer,  who  was  then 
peering  into  the  car  from  which  we  had  just  escaped. 
Although  the  light  fell  full  on  us,  so  that  we  were 
plainly  visible  to  our  friends  in  the  car,  the  officer  did 
not  discover  us,  and  we  remained  perfectly  quiet. 
Lieutenant  Pool,  however,  was  not  so  fortunate,  he  be 
ing  the  last  of  our  party  to  leave  the  train,  and  had,  in 
fact,  just  got  off  when  the  officer  with  the  light  came 
up,  therefore  had  not  examined  the  embankment  upon 
which  he  stood,  consequently  dare  not  risk  rushing 
over  it,  and  as  no  other  way  of  escape  was  possible,  he 
was  discovered,  and  put  back  into  the  car.  Thus,  our 
party  at  the  outset,  lost  him  whom  each  of  us  loved, 
and  whose  courage,  daring  and  sound  judgment,  we 
much  desired  on  the  perilous  journey  we  were  about  to 
commence. 

After  seeing  Lieutenant  Pool  comfortably  stowed  in 
the  car,  and  kindly  admonishing  him  that  it  was  rather 
a  stormy  night  to  be  out  in  the  woods  and  swamps,  he 
passed  on,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  Mosley  and  my 
self;  and  we  then  commenced  worming  our  way 
through  the  unexplored  briars  lying  between  us  and 
what  we  supposed  an  open  field,  but  which,  when  we 
reached  it,  proved  to  be  a  marsh  or  swamp,  containing 
an  area  of  several  acres,  tufted  over  here  and  there 
with  patches  of  wild  grass,  bujlrushes  and  yellow  wil 
low.  Soon  after  entering  this  swamp,  we  were  greatly 


182  THE    PRISONER    OF   WAR, 

delighted  to  meet  Captain  Aigau,  of  whom  we  had, 
not  seen  or  heard  anything  since  we  left  the  train.  He 
informed  us  that  he  followed  immediately  after  rne  a-nd 
passed  over  the  embankment  and  through  the  bramble 
thicket,  close  to  where  we  did. 

We  were  witnesses  of  our  friend  Pool's  misfortune, 
in  fact  could  hear  the  prisoners  jesting  him  on  his  re 
capture,  asking  him  how  he  stood  the  march?  How 
the  negroes  treated  him?  If  he  found  any  loyal  citi 
zens  ?  How  he  managed  to  subsist  ?  If  he  was  hunted 
down  with  hounds?  and  numerous  other  questions, 
usually  asked  of  those  who  had  attempted  to  escape, 
when  they  were  brought  back  after  being  recaptured. 

This,  by  the  way,  was  not  Pool's  first  attempt ;  he 
had  previously  made  three  unsuccessful  efforts,  and  was 
on  one  occasion  within  hearing  of  the  drums  in  our 
camps.  Such  perseverance  and  energy  well  deserved 
the  reward  of  liberty,  and  we  sincerely  regretted  that 
we  were  deprived  of  his  daring  and  council  in  danger; 
his  jovial  disposition  and  encouragement  in  gloom  and 
despondency. 

After  consultation  we  concluded  to  remain  in  the 
swamp,  in  sight  of  the  train  until  it  left,  hoping  that 
our  friend  Pool  would  make  another  effort  to  get  away. 
It  was  nearly  two  hours  before  the  engine  was  repaired, 
but  during  the  whole  of  this  time,  although  a  heavy 
sleet  continued  to  fall  and  was  freezing  very  fast,  we 
stood  almost  shoeless  and  half  naked  in  the  swamp, 
waiting  and  hoping  for  Pool  to  join  us,  and  when  the 
train  moved  off,  we  made  a  thorough  examination  of 
the  surrounding  locality,  hoping  to  find  him  concealed 
in  some  clump  of  bushes,  thinking  that  he  had  perhaps 
escaped  a  second  time  from  the  train,  but  dare  not 
walk  away  lest  he  should  be  again  discovered.  Our 


AND    HOW   TREATED.  183 

hope  and  search  were  both  in  vain — he  was  still  a  pris 
oner. 

Leaving  the  railroad  we  directed  our  course  south 
ward,  with  the  intention  of  joining  Sherman's  army  at 
Columbia,  from  which  place  we  were  about  thirty-five 
miles  distant.  Captain  Aigan  had  in  his  possession  a 
small  pocket  compass,  but  the  night  was  so  extremely 
dark  that  it  availed  us  nothing,  and  we  journeyed 
through  mud  and  sleet  without  the  benefit  of  guide  or 
compass,  until  about  three  o'clock  next  morning,  when 
to  our  great  joy  we  discovered  a  light  in  a  negro  hut, 
a  short  distance  from  the  road.  We  carefully  recon- 
noitered  the  situation,  and  approached  near  the  cabin, 
from  under  which  three  or  four  savage  looking  hounds 
came  barking  and  howling,  making  a  noise  that  to  us 
seemed  sufficient  to  awake  all  creation,  but  our  knowl 
edge  of  the  canine  species  assured  us  that  when  there 
was  so  much  bark  there  was  little  bite,  and  our  only 
fear  was  that  they  would  arouse  the  "white  folks"  in 
the  "  big  house,"  near  by.  Captain  Aigan  and  myself 
took  a  position  against  the  trunk  of  a  large  tree  in 
front  of  the  cabin  door,  while  Mosley  cautiously  pushed 
open  the  latter  and  entered  the  interior  of  the  negro 
dwelling.  There  was  a  bright,  blazing  fire  of  dry  pine 
burning  on  the  hearth,  before  which  were  half  a  dozen 
young  negroes  of  both  sexes,  and  of  most  any  age 
between  five  and  twenty  years,  while  back  in  one 
corner  of  the  room,  raised  a  few  feet  from  the  floor, 
was  a  frame  made  of  round  pine  poles  that  answered 
the  place  of  a  bedstead,  on  which  was  disposed  a  few 
ragged,  but  clean  and  neat  looking  quilts — this  was  the 
bed  of  the  father  and  mother  of  the  dusky  family.  IsTo 
negro  hut  ever  makes  pretensions  to  more  than  one 
bedstead  and  bed,  the  young  negroes,  both  male  and 


184  THE    PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

female  sleeping  summer  and  winter  on  the  bare  floor, 
without  clothing  of  any  kind,  except  that  worn  by 
them  day  after  day,  and  week  after  week,  until  literally 
worn  off.  Lieutenant  M.  soon  aroused  the  old  man, 
and  informed  him  that  three  escaped  Union  prisoners 
of  war  were  at  his  house,  and  wanted  to  warm  them 
selves,  and  get  something  to  eat.  At  the  word  Union 
the  old  man  sprang  from  his  bed,  saying  :  "Massa,  I'll 
do  all  I  knows  for  you."  Aigan  and  I  were  at  once  in 
vited  in ;  fresh  sticks  of  pine  were  piled  on  the  fire,  in 
front  of  which,  and  surrounded  by  the  young  slaves,  we 
were  soon  comfortably  seated,  thawing  our  limbs  and 
drying  our  wet  and  muddy  clothing. 

After  the  firewood  had  burned  down,  and  there  only 
remained  on  the  hearth  a  huge  heap  of  red  and  shining 
embers,  our  host  took  from  a  sack  standing  by  the  side 
of  his  bed,  a  few  pints  of  cornmeal,  and  in  a  wooden 
tray  mixed  it  with  cold  water  into  a  kind  of  dough, 
which  he  rolled  up  into  balls,  and  placed  them  in  a 
row  on  the  hearth,  and  covered  them  with  hot  ashes 
and  coals.  "We  watched  the  operation  with  curiosity, 
as  it  was  a  new  mode  to  us  of  baking  bread.  We 
thought  the  secret  would  be  a  great  advantage  to  us 
should  we  be  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  recaptured,  and 
taken  back  to  prison.  After  about  an  hour  had 
elapsed,  the  old  man,  with  a  long  stick,  commenced 
digging  in  the  ashes,  and  to  the  delight  of  our  hungry 
stomachs,  raked  out  as  many  nice  brown  cakes  as  he 
had  put  in  rolls  of  dough,  and  handed  one  to  each  of 
us.  While  we  were  waiting  for  them  to  cool,  the  old 
man  drew  a  box  out  from  under  his  bed,  and  as  he  did 
so,  remarked  that  he  had  a  small  piece  of  bacon  there 
that  he  had  bought,  and  would  divide  with  us.  His 
master,  he  informed  us,  furnished  him  as  much  corn- 


AND    HOW    TREATED.  185 

meal  as  he  could  use  in  his  family,  and  once  a  week  a 
small  ration  of  meat,  and  if  he  wanted  more  he  must 
buy  it  with  money  earned  after  his  daily  labor  for  his 
master  was  completed.  We  found  his  ash-cake  very 
good,  in  fact,  far  superior  to  what  we  had  anticipated, 
when  we  saw  it  buried  in  the  dirty  ashes.  We  accord 
ingly  complimented  the  old  fellow  on  his  skill  as  a 
baker,  which  pleased  him  very  much,  and  he  expressed 
a  wish  that  "  massa  Sherman  would  come  along  dat 
way,  and  he  would  bake  a  nice  cake  for  him." 

By  the  time  we  had  finished  our  meal  of  ash -cake 
and  bacon,  and  had  got  thoroughly  thawed  through, 
it  was  nearly  daylight,  which  warned  us  that  we  must 
seek  some  place  of  safety  until  the  shades  of  anbther 
night.  The  old  man  regretted  very  much  that  he  could 
not  keep  us,  but  there  was  so  many  "white  folks"  on 
the  plantation  he  thought  we  would  not  be  safe  to  stay 
there,  though  he  could  send  us  to  a  plantation  about 
one  mile  and  a  half  distant,  where  we  would  be  per 
fectly  secure,  and  seat  one  of  his  boys,  a  young  negro 
of  about  eighteen,  to  guide  us  on  the  route. 

Arriving  at  the  plantation,  we  passed  by  the  man 
sion  house,  and  filed  down  between  two  rows  of  negro 
huts  to  a  cabin  that  seemed  to  have  more  pretensions  to 
comfort  than  its  neighbors  ;  it  was  the  habitation  of  the 
chief  negro  man,  or  kind  of  second  overseer,  a  charac 
ter  that  was  common  to  almost  every  plantation  in  the 
South.  Here,  the  young  darkey  halted  us  while  he 
went  in  and  aroused  his  dusky  friend,  to  whose  care 
we  were  consigned.  He  shortly  made  his  appearance, 
and  by  our  young  guide  was  introduced  to  us  as  "Peter." 
Without  hesitation  he  consented  to  conceal  and  feed 
us  during  the  day,  and  conducted  us  off  to  the  barn, 
and  up  into  the  loft,  where  there  was  an  abundance  of 


186  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

hay  and  fodder,  and  informed  us  that  we  could  sleep 
here  and  be  perfectly  safe,  adding  that  there  was  no 
white  person  on  the  plantation  except  the  overseer,  and 
he  had  only  one  arm,  and  consequently  could  not  get 
up  in  the  mow  where  we  were ;  he  then  left  us  with 
the  promise  to  return  soon  with  something  for  us  to 
eat;  in  the  meantime  we  buried  ourselves  in  the  hay 
to  sleep,  and  dream,  perchance,  of  liberty,  home  and 
friends. 

"We  enjoyed  two  or  three  hours  of  refreshing  slum 
ber,  from  which  we  were  aroused  by  the  voice  of  a  man 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  barn  among  the  stock.  One 
of  our  party  cautiously  crawled  up  to  the  wall,  and, 
through  a  chink,  watched  the  large  door  below,  and 
presently  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  one-armed 
overseer  come  out  and  walk  away.  Two  or  three  times 
during  the  day  our  friend  Peter  came  to  visit  us,  bring 
ing  with  him,  each  time,  something  for  the  inner  man. 
Peter  was  a  genuine  " business  negro,"  and  had  a  high 
appreciation  of  the  services  he  was  rendering  us ;  was 
willing  to  give  us  a  bountiful  supply  of  corn-bread  and 
bacon,  also  to  keep  us  concealed;  for  anything  more, 
he  wanted  to  be  well  paid,  and,  as  we  had,  at  that  time, 
a  tolerable  supply  of  rebel  money,  we  gave  him  fifty 
dollars  to  bring  us  a  roasted  chicken,  a  dozen  boiled 
eggs  and  a  quart  of  milk,  and  we  thought  it  a  good 
bargain,  as  the  fowl  alone  would  have  cost  at  least 
twice  that  amount  at  the  sutler's  shop  in  prison. 

It  was  our  intention  to  cross  Broad  river  at  Alston's 
ferry,  twenty-five  miles  above  Columbia,  and  from  that 
point  we  were  now  eighteen  miles  distant,  but  we 
thought,  by  starting  early  in  the  evening,  we  could 
reach  it  before  daylight  next  morning.  Soon  af 
ter  dark,  with  Peter  for  a  guide,  we  started  out;  he 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  187 

conducted  us  through  fields,  woods,  and  along  by 
paths,  for  about  six  miles,  and  put  us  on  the  main  road 
leading  from  "Winnsboro*  to  Alston,  then  returned 
home. 

In  less  than  two  hours  after,  we  were  completely 
lost,  having  taken  the  wrong  road  at  the  first  fork  we 
came  to  after  the  negro  left  us.  It  being  the  unani 
mous  conclusion  of  the  whole  party  that  we  knew  not 
where  we  were  going,  nor  where  we  were,  we  resolved, 
the  first  opportunity,  to  press  a  negro  guide,  and  soon 
we  came  to  a  collection  of  slave  huts,  into  one  of  which 
Captain  Aigan  entered,  while  Mosley  and  I  kept  guard 
on  the  outside.  Aigan  soon  returned,  and  with  him  a 
negro  who  assured  us  that  he  could  "  Carry  us  pur- 
sisely  to  de  road  we  wanted  to  go."  Leaving  all  roads 
and  following  our  new  guide,  we  took  an  oblique  di 
rection  from  that  we  had  been  traveling,  through  fields, 
woods  and  swamps. 

Two  hours'  travel  brought  us  to  a  public  highway, 
which  the  guide  informed  us  would  take  us  to  the  point 
before  mentioned  that  we  desired  to  reach;  believing 

7  O 

that  we  were  now  on  the  direct  route  and  would  not 
again  lose  the  way  that  night,  we  took  the  road  di 
rected  by  the  negro,  and  left  him  to  return  to  his  mas 
ter's  plantation. 

It  is  impossible  to  imagine  our  chagrin  and  surprise 
when,  two  hours  afterwards,  we  found  ourselves  pass 
ing  over  the  same  road  and  in  nearly  the  same  spot 
that  we  first  discovered  that  we  had  missed  the  desired 
route.  It  was  now  getting  well  on  in  the  after  part  of 
the  night;  we  had  marched  hard  since  first  starting 
out  on  the  evening,  and  being  unused  to  walking,  were, 
consequently,  much  fatigued,  especially  Captain  Aigan, 
who,  having  been  quite  unwell  for  several  days  previ- 


188 

ous  to  leaving  the  prison  at  Columbia,  was  almost  com 
pletely  exhausted,  and  seemed  unable  to  go  further; 
on  this  account,  and  being  again  bewildered  in  regard 
to  the  proper  road,  we  gave  up  all  hopes  of  crossing 
Broad  river  that  night.  But  it  was  near  daylight,  and 
we  must  seek  the  habitation  of  some  friendly  slave  for 
food  and  concealment  during  the  approaching  day,  and 
to  this  end  we  pushed  on  faster  than  our  strength 
would  really  admit.  Captain  Aigan  was  failing  fast, 
and  though  we  had  relieved  him  of  his  haversack  and 
blanket,  was  unable  to  walk  more  than  a  rod  or  two 
without  resting.  Mosley  and  myself  kept  on  in  ad 
vance,  thinking  the  situation  wrould  urge  him  to  keep 
in  sight  of  us. 

Traveling  this  way  we  went  up  a  long  hill  on  the 
Columbia  road,  and  arriving  at  the  top,  we  sat  down 
to  rest  and  wait  for  our  friend  Aigan ;  fifteen  or  twenty 
minutes  passed,  but  he  did  not  make  his  appearance  : 
we  were  beginning  to  be  somewhat  alarmed  for  his 
safety,  and  Mosley  started  down  the  road  for  the  pur 
pose  of  finding  out  what  had  become  of  him,  but  soon 
returned  and  reported  that  he  had  been  back  as  far  as 
the  place  we  had  last  noticed  him,  but  could  find  no 
trace  of  him  ;  both  of  us  then  went  back  and  carefully 
inspected  the  road,  but  with  like  success.  Thinking, 
perhaps,  he  had  left  the  road  and  gone  over  into  a  field 
on  one  side  or  the  other,  we  went  over,  one  on  each 
side,  and  made  a  careful  search,  but  in  vain — he  was 
no  where  to  be  found. 

The  unknown  fate  of  our  friend  and  companion, 
weighed  heavily  on  our  minds ;  the  idea  of  thus  aban 
doning  one  who,  with  ourselves,  had  dared  the  dangers 
of  escape  from  the  rebel  guards,  and  shared  the  perils 
and  sufferings  of  the  nightly  march  through  a  hostile 


AND    HOW    TREATED.  189 

country,  was  abhorrent  to  the  benevolent  feelings  of 
human  nature.  But,  if  we  remained,  we  could  render 
him  no  assistance,  even  if  we  found  him,  and  when 
daylight  came  we  would  all  be  recaptured  and  con 
signed  to  a  life  we  dreaded  worse  than  death.  It  was, 
therefore,  agreed  that  we  should  go  on  and  seek  safety 
for  ourselves,  and  inform  some  negro  of  the  circum 
stances,  and  have  him  return  and  look  for  our  missing 
friend  next  day. 

Going  about  one  mile,  we  discovered  a  light  burning 
in  a  negro  cabin,  and  directed  our  steps  thither;  after 
reconnoitering  the  situation,  we  went  up  to  the  door 
and  rapped ;  a  negress  came  and  opened  it  and  invited 
us  in.  After  being  comfortably  seated  before  the  blaz 
ing  pine-fire,  we  took  a  survey  of  the  interior  of  the 
building  and  its  occupants.  The  old  negress  was  en 
gaged  carding  cotton,  while  two  young  girls,  of  about 
twelve  and  fourteen  respectively,  were  spinning  the 
same  for  cloth  for  their  master's  sons  who  were  in  the 
rebel  army.  A  half  a  dozen  young  negroes  of  both 
sexes  were  lying  heel  to  head  and  head  to  heel  on  the 
hearth  in  front  of  the  blazing  pine  faggots ;.  in  the  far 
corner  of  the  only  room  the  dwelling  afforded,  was  an 
old  dilapidated  apology  of  a  bedstead  upon  which  were 
a  few  ragged  quilts  that  covered  the  sleeping  form  of 
the  "head  of  the  family."  The  invariable  sign  (the 
army  brass  button)  by  which  the  slaves  of  the  South 
distinguished  Yankee  soldiers,  betrayed  us  here;  this, 
however,  gave  us  no  uneasiness,  as  we  never  sought  to 
conceal  our  character  from  any  member  of  the  race 
whose  skin  is  black,  but  whose  heart  and  head,  in  our 
great  American  contest  remained,  under  all  circum 
stances,  and  against  all  opposition,  true  and  firm  to  the 
cause  of  justice  and  right. 


190 

When  we  acknowledged  that  we  were  Union  soldiers, 
the  cards  and  spinning  wheels  were  put  aside,  and  prep 
arations  commenced  for  our  breakfast.  Nearly  half  a 
peck  of  nice  sweet  potatoes  were  placed  in  a  heap  on. 
the  hearth,  and  covered  with  hot  ashes  and  coals ; 
while  these  were  roasting,  our  olfactories  were  greeted 
with  the  rich  odors  of  the  savory  slices  of  ham  the  old 
negress  was  cooking  in  a  pan  over  the  fire.  By  the 
time  our  breakfast  of  ham  and  sweet  potatoes  was 
ready,  the  old  negro,  who  had  been  sleeping  on  the 
bedstead,  came  forward  and  took  a  seat  in  our  circle; 
to  him  we  made  known  our  wish  for  a  hiding  place 
until  night,  whereupon  he  informed  us  that  there  was 
a  white  man  lived  on  the  adjoining  plantation  that  was 
a  good  Union  man,  and  had  told  him  if  he  saw  any 
Yankee  soldiers  that  wanted  assistance,  to  bring  them 
to  his  house,  and  he  would  take  care  of  them,  and  fur 
nish  them  with  everything  in  his  power  for  their  com 
fort.  At  first  we  hesitated  whether  or  not  to  trust  our 
selves  under  the  protection  of  a  white  man;  had  we 
been  referred  to  him  by  any  other  than  a  negro,  we 
certainly  would  not  have  done  so,  but  we  had  too  much 
confidence  in  the  black  man  to  suspect,  for  a  moment, 
that  he  would  betray  us,  and,  accordingly,  after  par 
taking  heartily  of  the  sweet  potatoes  and  ham,  accom 
panied  him  to  the  residence  of  Mr.  John  Carman,  the 
Union  man-  referred  to.  Matthew  was  the  negro's 
name.  The  surname  of  a  slave  is  always  the  same  as 
his  master's,  and  changes  as  often  as  he  is  sold  from 
one  individual  to  another. 

Passing  outside  of  the  inclosure  surrounding  Math's 
house,  into  the  main  road,  we  were  startled  ,by  some 
one  in  a  stifled  voice  calling  my  name.  Had  one 
of  my  former  comrades,  whose  bones  I  had  seen  carried 


AND    HOW    TREATED.  191 

out  for  interment  in  the  Georgia  swamps,  appeared  be 
fore  me,  I  would  not  have  been  more  surprised  than  I 
was,  to  hear  my  name  spoken  here  in  a  country  where 
I  supposed  there  was  not  a  soul  within  many  scores  of 
miles  with  whom  I  had  ever  met.  We  halted,  and  tbe 
call  was  repeated;  this  time  I  answered,  when,  judge 
of  the  astonishment  of  Mosley  and  myself,  to  see  our 
lost  friend,  Aigan,  come  out  from  a  concealed  position 
in  a  fence  corner  and  rejoin  us.  Coming  up  the  hill, 
where  we  had  last  seen  him,  exertion  overcame  him, 
and  he  fell  exhausted  and  senseless  to  the  ground,  and 
was,  it  seems,  lying  in  that  position  during  the  time 
Mosley  and  I  were  prosecuting  the  .search  for  him,  and 
in  this  condition  he  lay  there  in  the  mud  for  nearly  two 
hours,  and  just  recovered,  and  got  up  to  the  negro 
cabin  as  we  were  leaving  it. 

Our  whole  party  now  proceeded  to  the  house  of  Mr. 
Carman.  Arriving  there,  we  remained  outside,  while 
Math  went  in  to  inform  that  gentleman  of  the  charge 
he  had  brought.  Mr.  C.,  it  happened,  however,  was 
not  at  home,  but  his  wife,  a  motherly  old  lady  (God 
bless  her,)  was  possessed  of  the  same  loyal  sentiments 
and  humane  feelings  of  her  noble  husband. 

Their  dwelling  was  small,  and  they  had  a  great  many 
calls  and  visits  from  their  "  secesh  neighbors,"  it  was 
not  thought  advisable,  therefore,  for  us  to  stay  in  the 
house,  so  the  old  lady  directed  Math  to  show  us  to  the 
loom-house,  an  out-building  on  another  part  of  the 
farm.  Here  we  were  made  quite  comfortable.  Math 
built  a  big  pine  fire  that  soon  threw  t\  cheerful  warmth 
throughout  the  little  cabin,  and  soon  after,  Mrs.  Car 
man,  accompanied  by  one  of  her  daughters,  came  out, 
bringing  with  them  some  hot  tea,  bread  and  meat,  also 
a  bundle  of  straw  and  some  bed-clothing. 


192  THE    PEISONER   OF    WAR, 

During  the  afternoon  the  old  man  arrived  at  home, 
and  immediately  came  out  to  see  us.  In  him  we  found 
one  of  the  most  zealous  and  loyal  Union  men  that  I 
have  ever  met  either  North  or  South ;  he  gave  us  a 
very  curious  and  interesting  history  of  the  early  days 
of  the  rebellion  in  his  part  of  the  State.  How  their 
leading  men  pictured  the  future  glory  of  the  Southern 
States,  and  the  ease  with  which  an  independent  Con 
federacy  could  be  established;  and  how  they  ridiculed 
the  idea  of  any  blood  being  shed  to  accomplish  it. 

It  was  our  design  to  have  moved  on  towards  Broad 
river  soon  after  dark,  but  Mr.  C.  insisted  that  it  was 
best  for  us  to  remain  where  we  were  for  another  day 
at  least,  arguing  that  we  had  nothing  to  lose  by  lying 
still,  while,  if  we  moved  on  without  knowing  the  situ 
ation  of  either  our  own  or  the  rebel  army,  we  were  al 
most  certain  to  be  recaptured.  In  consideration  of  the 
wise  counsel  of  our  host,  who  agreed  to  bring  us  cor 
rect  information  in  regard  to  the  movement  of  the  two 
armies,  we  concluded  to  remain  until  the  next  night  in 
our  present  comfortable  quarters.  The  cabin  in  which 
we  were  located  was  in  sight,  and  within  a  few  rods  of, 
the  Columbia  and  Winnsboro'  road,  over  which,  dur 
ing  the  night,  several  bodies  of  rebel  cavalry  moved 
towards  the  former  place.  This  being  known  to  Mr. 
C.,  who  kept  a  vigilant  watch  of  everything  that  trans 
pired  in  the  vicinity,  he  came  and  aroused  us  before 
daylight  next  morning,  and  informed  us  that*  we  had 
better  move  out  to  a  pine  thicket  on  his  plantation, 
which  was  farther  from  the  road  and  more  secluded, 
adding,  that  he  feared  the  rebel  soldiers  would  visit 
the  cabin  through  the  day  in  quest  of  forage. 

The  advice  was  good,  and  proved  to  have  been  very 
timely  given,  for,  early  in  the  day,  a  party  of  rebel 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  193 

cavalry,  passing  by,  halted  at  the  cabin  and  carried  off 
the  small  bundle  of  fodder  furnished  by  Mrs.  Carman 
for  the  ground-work  of  our  bed. 


(13) 


CHAPTERXIV. 


THE    OLD   FLAG   AND   LIBERTY. 

Two  days  and  nights  longer  we  remained  with  the 
kind  and  generous  family  of  Mr.  Carman,  during  which 
time  we  were  the  recipients  of  the  kindest  treatment 
and  attention. 

We  were  kept  supplied  with  an  abundance  of  plain, 
but  wholesome  and  palatable  food,  furnished  alternate 
ly  from  the  tables  of  Mr.  C.  and  our  colored  friend 
Math,  whose  larder  was  as  well  supplied  as  his  white 
neighbors,  though  for  a  slave  his  case  was  perhaps  one 
only  in  ten  thousand.  Our  clothing  was  also  washed 
and  repaired,  and  a  pair  of  socks  furnished  to  each  of 
us.  The  old  man  was  assiduously  engaged  on  the  road 
conversing  with  the  rebel  cavalry  as  they  passed,  glean 
ing  all  the  information  possible  from  them  respecting 
the  movements  of  the  two  armies,  and  reported  accord 
ingly  to  us.  He  and  Math  were  both  fertile  in  project 
ing  and  inventing  schemes  for  our  safe  arrival  inside 
the  lines  of  the  Union  army. 

Math's  master  was  the  owner  of  three  fine  mules, 
and  he  (Math)  proposed  taking  these  three  animals 
and  mount  us  on  them,  he  taking  a  position  behind 
one  of  us,  and  guide  us,  some  dark  night,  to  our  friends, 
Sherman's  gallant  boys  in  blue.  Math,  although  an 


AND    HOW    T HEATED.  195 

original  and  inventive  genius  himself,  possessed  the 
happy  faculty  of  coinciding  with  the  opinions  and 
views  of  everybody  on  every  subject,  and  his  peculiar 
phrase  of  affirmation  to  everything  advanced,  of  "  dats 
so  ;  I  knows  it,"  was  frequently  the  cause  of  an  up 
roarious  burst  of  hilarity  from  our  whole  party,  not 
withstanding  our  utmost  efforts  to  keep  quiet  and  still, 
lest  even  the  rocks  and  pine  trees  should  learn  and 
prate  of  our  whereabouts.  I  imagine  I  yet  see  Mos- 
ley's  fat  sides  shaking  when  Math,  for  his  invention  of 
the  plan  last  spoken  of  for  our  final  escape,  was  told 
by  one  of  us  that  he  was  a  "first-rate  fellow;"  when 
in  reply  he  brought  into  requisition  his  usual  declara 
tion,  "dats  so;  I  knows  it." 

The  day  before  we  left  this  hospitable  family,  the  old 
gentleman  came  out  to  our  concealed  place  in  the 
thicket  in  a  great  hurry,  and  seemingly  very  much 
elated  over  some  good  news  or  favorable  circumstances 
he  had  to  communicate.  Soon  as  his  excitement  had 
subsided  and  his  respiration,  which  was  almost  ex 
hausted  in  his  anxiety  to  get  to  us,  was  recovered,  he 
commenced  by  saying  that  his  daughter  Martha  had 
been  thinking  and  thinking  about  us,  and  Studying 
how  we  could  get  through  to  our  friends,  and  at  last  hit 
on  the  following  plan: 

Two  of  his  sons  were  in  the  rebel  army,  and  when 
at  home  on  furlough  had  left  some  of  their  old  uniform 
clothing,  and  the  papers  giving  them  authority  to  be  ab 
sent.  Martha's  scheme  was  to  dress  us  up  in  the  boys' 
clothing,  and  give  us  forged  copies  of  the  furloughs, 
and  start  us  out  on  the  highway  through  the  rebel  lines 
as  rebel  soldiers,  on  leave  of  absence,  going  to  our 
homes  in  Georgia. 

The  plan  was  considered  feasible,  and  in  honor  to  the 


196  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

enterprise  and  ingenuity  of  Martha,  was  adopted  as  the 
course  we  should  pursue,  and  the  old  man  returned  to 
his  house  to  make  preparations  accordingly.  About 
dusk  he  came  back,  and  informed  us  that  he  felt  confi 
dent  that  it  would  not  be  necessary  for  us  to  have  re 
course  to  Martha's  strategy,  as  our  army  was  moving 
rapidly  towards  us,  and  would  probably  pass  the  next 
day.  As  convincing  proof  of  the  near  approach  of  the 
Yankees,  he  led  us  out  of  our  seclusion  to  an  open 
space  of  ground  and  pointed  to  the  red  blazes  of  fire 
that  illumined  the  horizon  of  the  whole  southwestern 
sky.  Pointing  to  the  chain  of  lights,  distinguishing 
them  by  the  location  and  different  degrees  of  brilliancy, 
with  an  oath  and  exultant  laugh,  he  would  say  such  an 
one  was  Dr.  A's  residence,  another  Squire  B's,  and  so 
on,  until  he  had  designated  perhaps  a  dozen  burning 
mansions,  and  given  us  the  private  and  public  history 
of  the  owner  of  each,  with  frequent  interspersions  to 
the  effect  that  this  man,  or  that  one,  was  "the  worst 
rebel  and  the  meanest  man  in  South  Carolina,  and 
ought  to  have  been  burned  out  long  ago." 

Notwithstanding  his  hate  of  rebels  and  the  cause  of 
secession,  he  had,  as  before  stated,  two  sons  in  the  rebel 
army  —  mere  boys,  the  oldest  not  twenty  years  of 
age — but  like  thousands  of  others  in  the  rebel  armies, 
compelled  by  force  to  fight  for  a  cause  with  which  they 
had  no  sympathy.  How  my  heart  ached  for  the  poor  old 
mother  when,  with  tears  streaming  down  her  furrowed 
cheeks,  she  told  how  they  came  and  dragged  them 
away  from  her  to  do  battle  in  defense  of  a  cause  they 
detested.  One  of  them  was  wounded  and  captured  at 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  but  was  soon  after  exchanged, 
and  reported  that  he  fared  better  and  had  more  care 
and  attention  showa  him  while  a  prisoner  than  after 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  197 

he  returned  to  Richmond,  and  was  placed  in  one  of 
their  own  hospitals.  The  mother  expressed  an  ardent 
desire  that  they  might  both  be  taken  prisoners  by  our 
army,  for  she  eaid  they  would  then  take  the  oath  of  al 
legiance  to  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  and 
if  they  fought  any  more  it  would  be  in  the  Union 
armies. 

Early  Sunday  morning,  February  nineteenth,  we 
could  distinguish  in  the  distance  the  sharp  crack  of 
musketry,  and  occasionally  hear  the  booming  report  of 
the  deep-mouthed  cannon.  As  the  sun  rolled  up  to 
ward  the  zenith  the  sound  of  battle  became  more  dis 
tinct,  and  by  moving  out  from  our  concealment  to  a 
little  knoll,  we  could  plainly  see  large  bodies  of  rebel 
cavalry  in  the  road  and  fields,  about  a  mile  distant. 
While  watching  their  maneuvering,  we  were  surprsied 
by  two  of  the  Miss  Carmans  who,  in  great  haste  and 
breathless,  made  their  appearance,  and  informed  us  that 
a  wounded  rebel  Captain  and  several  soldiers  were  at 
their  house,  and  that  rebel  troops  would  probably  be 
all  over  the  plantation  in  a  very  short  time,  also  adding 
that  they  had  come  to  show  us  to  a  more  secure  place. 
We  accordingly  gathered  up  our  few  "traps"  to  follow 
our  fair  guides  through  swamp  and  thicket  to  the  safe 
retreat. 

Having  learned  in  our  military  schooling  that  the 
tide  of  battle  was  often  changed  from  a  seeming  reverse 
to  victory,  and  great  advantages  gained  by  well  con 
ducted  flank  movements  and  retreats,  we  thought  a 
change  of  base  peculiarly  applicable  to  our  situation  ; 
the  retrograde  movement,  therefore,  did  not  in  the  least 
humble  our  military  pride,  especially  as  it  was  ordered 
by  two  fair  Union  damsels  of  South  Carolina.  But 
Captain  Aigan,  actuated  I  presume,  by  a  desire  to  show 


198 

his  activity  and  agility  to  the  young  ladies — I  would 
not  at  all  insinuate  that  he  was  in  any  hurry  to  get 
away  from  rebel  soldiers — made  a  dashing  leap,  and 
attempted  to  clear  a  stagnant  pool  of  water  which  we 
had  to  pass  around.  Unlucky  leap  !  The  unfortunate 
Aigan,  hy  a  slip  of  the  foot,  was  precipitated  full 
length  into  the  muddy  pond.  The  girls  turned  away 
to  conceal  their  mirth,  while  Mosley  and  myself  give 
vent  to  an  excessive  outburst  of  laughter  at  the  undig 
nified  position  in  which  our  friend's  agility  had  placed 
him.  And  for  the  reputation  of  ourselves  and  Yankee 
officers  generally,  we  sincerely  advised  him  to  make  no 
more  efforts  at  athletics  in  the  presence  of  ladies. 

The  girls  continued  to  trip  lightly  along,  we  follow 
ing,  and  without  further  mishap  to  either  of  our  party, 
we  soon  arrived  at  a  dark  cavernous  retreat  in  the  dense 
pine  forest,  where,  as  the  old  man  afterwards  remarked, 
uthe  devil  himself  couldn't  find  us."  The  girls  re 
turned  home,  leaving  us  crouched  close  to  the  damp 
ground,  awaiting  the  issue  of  events. 

About  two  hours  we  remained  in  this  situation, 
when  our  fair  friends  again  made  their  appearance,  this 
time  bringing  the  joyful  news  that  a  squad  of  Union 
soldiers  were  at  their  house.  This  was  indeed  glad 
tidings,  and  the  young  girls  who  communicated  it  to 
us  seemed  to  our  eyes  transformed  into  angels.  WQ 
were  soon  threading  through  swamps  and  thickets,  the 
same  route  which  we  had  previously  traveled  to  reach 
our  hiding  place,  and  as  we  passed  by  the  scene  of  the 
Captain's  luckless  adventure  on  that  occasion,  one  of 
the  girls,  with  a  sly  wink,  pertly  admonished  him  to  be 
ware  of  the  pond.  Arriving  at  the  family  dwelling,  we 
there  found  three  members  of  the  Mnety-Second  Ohio 
Infantry — the  first  Union  soldiers  we  had  seen,  except 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  199 

those  that  were  prisoners,  for  nearly  two  years.  The 
si^ht  of  blue-coated  soldiers  with  guns  in  their  hands, 
seemed  then,  to  us,  the  most  pleasing  sight  we  ever 
witnessed.  But  our  joy  somewhat  subsided  when  we 
learned  from  the  soldiers  that  they  were  only  a  for 
aging  party,  and  that  the  main  column  was  moving  on 
a  road  nearly  twelve  miles  distant. 

The  recollection  of  the  large  body  of  rebel  cavalry 
we  had  seen  scarcely  two  hours  before,  gave  us  grounds 
to  fear  that  we  might  yet  be  recaptured  before  we  could 
reach  the  road  upon  which  the  troops  were  moving, 
though,  our  friends  of  the  Ninety- Second  assured  us 
that  there  was  no  danger,  as  the  country  between  us 
and  that  point  was  covered  with  foraging  parties — 
^ Sherman's  bummers" — as  we  afterwards  learned  to 
call  them. . 

With  doubts  and  fears,  but  high  hopes  of  soon  see 
ing  the  old  flag,  we  started  with  our  new  found  friends 
to  Jeff.  C.  Davis's  Fourteenth  Corps. 

To  this  loyal  family  who  so  interested  themselves  in 
our  welfare  and  safety,  we  are  under  lasting  obligations, 
and  the  debt  of  gratitude  we  owe  them  can  never  be 
fully  repaid.  Before  leaving  them  we  drew  up  a  cer 
tificate  testifying  to  the  kind  treatment  we  received  at 
their  hands ;  also,  stating  that  so  far  as  we  could  ascer 
tain,  Mr.  Carman  had  always  been  a  staunch  Union 
man,  hoping  that  it  would  be  a  safeguard  for  their 
property,  and  prevent  foraging  parties  from  Sherman's 
army  carrying  off  their  grain,  forage  and  provisions. 

It  was  about  four  o'clock  P.  M.,  February  nineteenth, 
that  we  arrived  on  the  banks  of  Broad  river,  and  there 
joined  the  Ninety-Second  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry — then  engaged  near  Alston's  Ferry  destroying 
the  Columbia  and  Greenville  railroad. 


200  THE   PRISONER   OF  WAR, 

No  where  in  the  army  could  we  have  found  truer 
friends,  or  received  kinder  treatment,  than  we  had  at 
the  hands  of  the  officers  and  men  of  this  noble  regi 
ment.  Captain  Rosser  and  other  officers  furnished  us 
clothing,  the  garments  we  had  worn  in  prison  being 
ragged,  dirty  and  infected  with  vermin.  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Morrow,  commanding  the  regiment,  was  assid 
uous  in  his  attentions,  and  insisted  that  we  all  board 
with  him,  but,  not  wishing  to  abuse  the  hospitality 
of  the  generous  Colonel,  we  divided  our  patronage, 
and  only  one  of  us  remained  with  his  mess. 

We  were  much  surprised  to  learn  that  the  army  had 
no  base  of  supplies  or  communication  with  the  rear, 
and  that  we,  consequently,  would  have  no  opportunity 
of  getting  North  until  a  base  was  opened  on  the  sea 
board  of  North  Carolina.  But  we  were  now  out  of 
the  "jaws  of  death,"  and  under  the  protecting  folds  of 
the  starry  flag — liberty  was  gained — and  we  could  af 
ford  to  bide  the  time  between  us  and  home  and  friends. 

On  the  march  with  Sherman's  army  through  the' 
Carolinas,  we  were  astonished  at  the  abundant  supply 
of  corn  and  bacon  which  the  country  seemed  to  aiford. 
We  had  so  often  heard  the  reiterated  statement  of 
rebel  commissaries,  that  they  had  no  meat,  and  could 
procure  none  for  the  prisoners,  that,  of  late,  we  had 
really  credited  the  false  assertion  as  a  fact.  But  Sher 
man's  army  found  enough  of  everything  necessary  for 
the  inner  man  to  fare  sumptuously  every  day,  besides 
the  vast  quantities  that  were  wasted  and  destroyed. 
The  duty  of  procuring  these  supplies  devolved  on  a 
regular  detail  from  each  regiment,  called  foragers, 
flankers,  "bummers,"  who,  according  to  a  writer  in 
that  excellent  weekly,  the  Army  and  Navy  Journal, 
were  accustomed  to  spread  out  like  a  great  cloud  of 


AND    HOW   TREATED.  201 

skirmishers  in  front  of  Sherman's  army  on  its  marches. 
These  audacious  gentry,  who  generally  rode  on  horses 
and  mules,  borrowed  of  the  plantations,  round  about, 
served  a  very  good  purpose  as  scouts.  They  burst  over 
rivers,  on  which  the  enemy  had  established  "  lines  of 
defense,"  and,  by  flanking  far  up  or  down  the  stream, 
produced,  sometimes,  a  hasty  evacuation  of  the  works. 
Or,  else,  if  HAMPTON'S  cavalry  were  too  strong  for 
them,  they  would  come  "piling"  back,  as  the  expres 
sive  phrase  goes,  to  the  advance  of  the  main  army,  giv 
ing  very  good  warning  of  what  was  coming.  They  ac 
tually  "carried"  certain  streams  and  rivers  where  op 
position  was  expected,  and  were  always  hanging  on 
the  skirts  of  the  retreating  rebels. 

But,  of  course,  their  main  demonstrations  were  di 
rected  upon  the  question  of  supplies,  they  holding  to 
the  sound  doctrine  that  feeding  an  army  was  as  im 
portant  as  fighting,  and,  by  inference,  their  own  duty 
in  feeding  was  paramount  to  their  duty  in  fighting. 

While  the  army  of  General  Sherman  was  in  camp  at 
Goldsboro',  $~orth  Carolina,  the  following  humorous 
report  was  sent  by  the  "Chief  of  Bummers"  to  Adju 
tant  General  Thomas,  at  Washington  City : 

HEADQUARTERS  BUMMERS, 
GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  FLANKERS, 
Goldsboro',  North  Carolina,  April  1st,  1865. 
ADJUTANT  GENERAL  U.  S.  A.,  WASHINGTON,  D.  C. : 

GENERAL  :  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following 
report  of  the  operations  of  my  command  during  the 
Carolina  campaign: 

From  Savannah  to  Columbia,  in  furtherance  of  the 
original  plan  of  campaign,  my  forces,  being  poorly 
mounted,  operated  mainly  upon  the  flanks  of  the  Grand 


202  THE   PRISONER   OF    WAR, 

Army.  The  original  plan  of  the  campaign  was  for  the 
Grand  Army,  after  capturing  Columbia,  to  move  to  the 
coast  of  Charleston. 

While  General  Sherman  was  amusing  his  troops 
with  experiments  upon  railroad  iron  in  the  vicinity  of 
Columbia,  I  moved  my  command  rapidly  toward  Che- 
raw,  where  I  found  Hardee  with  fifteen  thousand  men, 
strongly  entrenched.  Active  skirmishing  commenced 
between  my  mule  brigade  and  the  enemy,  and  I  sent  a 
courier  to  General  Sherman  apprising  him  of  my  own 
and  the  enemy's  position,  requesting  him  to  set  aside 
his  original  plan  and  move  to  my  support,  which  he 
promptly  did,  and  we  occupied  Cheraw,  the  enemy  re 
treating  in  hasty  disorder  across  the  Great  Pedee,  pur 
sued  by  my  whole  brigade.  Arriving  in  -the  vicinity 
of  Fayetteville,  we  met  Johnston's  entire  army,  thirty- 
five  thousand  men.  We  moved  on  the  enemy  strongly, 
driving  him  before  us  and  capturing  a  heavy  invoice 
of  quartermasters'  stores  and  munitions  of  war.  From 
this  position  I  sent  back  another  dispatch  requesting 
support.  General  Sherman  moved  his  army  rapidly 
forward ;  but,  before  he  reached  Fayetteville,  the  en 
emy  had  withdrawn  across  the  river,  and  my  forces 
were  in  occupation  of  the  town. 

"We  regarded  private  rights,  and  treated  the  inhab 
itants  courteously,  sparing  the  citizens  generally  their 
houses,  and,  in  cases  of  pressing  want,  their  money  and 
spoons. 

Preparations  were  immediately  made  by  General 
Sherman  and  myself  for  crossing  the  Cape  Fear  river 
with  our  forces,  for  the  campaign  was  now  so  much 
changed  from  its  original  destination  that  General 
Sherman  resolved  to  pursue  the  enemy  further  if  pos 
sible.  Having  no  pontoon  bridge  or  trains  with  my 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  203 

command,  it  was  agreed  that  I  should  cross  on  the 
bridge  used  by  Major  General  Blair  with  his  (Seven 
teenth)  corps. 

On  reaching  this  bridge,  I  was  notified  that  General 
Blair  had  directed  his  provost  marshal  to  seize  and 
confiscate  the  horses  of  my  command,  all  of  which  had 
been  borrowed  by  my  men  from  loyal  residents  of 
South  Carolina.  Disdaining  to  quarrel  with  a  provost 
marshal,  and  learning  that  General  Blair  ranked  me  in 
date  of  commission  (by  special  courtesy  of  our  excel 
lent  President  towards  him,)  I  withdrew  from  the 
bridge  and  effected  a  crossing  several  miles  lower  down, 
and  sent  notice  of  the  same,  with  my  compliments,  to 
Major  General  Blair.  I  respectfully  request  that  this 
uncourteous  conduct  on  the  part  of  General  Blair  be 
made  the  subject  of  inquiry  by  a  military  commission. 

Moving  forward  from  Fayetteville,  I  found  Johnston 
strongly  posted  near  Averysboro'.  Flanking  his  posi 
tion,  I  crossed  Black  river,  and  advanced  toward  Ra 
leigh.  Near  Bentonville,  I  found  the  enemy  again 
entrenched,  and  again  I  flanked  him,  moving  toward 
Goldsboro'.  Before  reaching  this  town,  I  received  a 
note  from  General  Sherman  requesting  me  to  halt 
there,  as  he  would  be  d — d  if  he  would  follow  me  any 
further. 

Very  Respectfully, 

Your  Obd't  Serv't, 
TITUS  A.  BUMMER, 

Commanding,  etc. 

The  "Bummers"  have  really  no  organization,  with 
a  commander-in-chief,  as  the  above  would  indicate, 
but  each  squad  of  from  five  to  twenty  act  separately 
and  independently,  except  when  pressed  with  over- 


204  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

whelming  numbers  of  the  enemy,  when  they  will 
readily  form  into  companies  and  battalions,  and  conduct 
the  fight  with  as  much  order  and  system  as  a  well- 
trained  and  disciplined  organization.  The  report  is, 
of  course,  the  production  of  some  humorous  wag,  but 
is  notwithstanding  a  tolerable  correct  sketch  of  the  op 
erations  of  the  "Bummers."  Having  no  duty  to  per 
form,  Aigan,  Mosley  and  myself  had  time  and  oppor 
tunity  of  seeing  and  conversing  with  many  of  the  citi 
zens  who  remained  on  their  plantations,  along  the  line 
of  march.  All,  with  not  a  single  exception,  openly 
acknowledged  their  hostility  to  the  Union  and  the 
Yankee  army,  and  vowed  their  determination,  since 
Sherman's  march  through  their  S-tate,  never  to  live  in 
peace  with  the  North.  Their  greatest  grievance 
seemed  to  be  the  loss  of  the  negroes.  One  day  on  the 
march  our  trio  got  far  in  the  advance  of  the  "Ninety- 
Second,"  and  went  into  a  farm  house  to  rest  and  chat 
with  the  ladies.  The  only  white  people  living  on  the 
plantation  was  a  young  widow  and  her  sister,  an  edu 
cated  and  accomplished  young  lady  of  about  twenty. 
We  remarked  the  absence  of  school  houses  in  the  ru 
ral  districts  of  the  South ;  one  of  them  replied  that 
they  had  no  use  for  schools — that  they  employed  gover 
nesses  in  their  families  while  the  children  were  small, 
and  finished  their  education  by  sending  them  to  board 
ing  schools. 

No  interest  whatever  is  taken  by  the  aristocrats  of 
the  South  in  the  education  of  the  poor,  and,  as  a  nat 
ural  consequence  of  the  above  system,  they  grow  up 
almost  entirely  in  ignorance,  not  one  in  ten  being  com 
petent  to  write  their  own  names. 

Miss  W.,  the  younger  of  the  two  inmates  of  the 
dwelling  at  which  we  were  stopping,  notwithstanding 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  205 

the  abhorrence  she  had  for  the  "  black,  dirty-looking, 
Yankee  soldiers,'  as  she  called  them,  favored  us  with 
several  favorite  airs  on  her  piano.  Her  music,  intelli 
gence,  and  good  looks,  quite  prepossessed  our  friend 
Mosley  in  her  favor.  The  little  rebel  was,  in  fact,  fast 
gaining  his  affections,  but  romance  and  love  were  both 
dashed  to  the  ground  by  the  following  incident: 

A  staff  officer  coming  in  while  the  interesting  tete-a- 
tete  was  going  on,  incidentally  inquired  where  the  ne 
groes  belonging  to  the  plantation  were,  and  was  an 
swered  by  the  young  lady  that  "the  he  ones  had  all 
done  gone  took  to  their  heels,  and  if  they  came  back 
she  would  shoot  them/'  This  was  enough  for  Mosley ; 
his  admiration  vanished  ;  such  language  from  the  lips 
of  a  pretty  and  educated  girl  was  more  than  he  could 
endure,  and  before  leaving  he  wrote  on  the  margin  of 
a  page  in  a  copy  of  "  Tom  Moore,"  "When  interro 
gated  in  regard  to  your  negroes  say  *  they  have  ^oned 
and  runned  away.' " 

March  fifth,  the  Fourteenth  and  Twentieth  corps 
rested  on  the  banks  of  the  Great  Pedee,  and  while 
here  Captain  Aigan  visited  a  battery,  the  officers  of 
which,  he  was  acquainted  with.  From  one  of  them  he 
learned  that  Carman,  our  friend  and  protector,  while 
making  our  way  from  captivity  to  freedom,  was  rob 
bed  of  everything  he  possessed  by  a  party  of  villainous 
scamps,  led  by  a  more  dastardly  scoundrel  wearing  the 
uniform  of  a  United  States  officer.  When  they  ap 
proached  the  house  on  their  thieving  mission  the  old 
lady  protested  against  their  taking  all — was  willing  to 
share — and  informed  the  party  that  they  were  and  al 
ways  had  been  Union  people — also  showed  them  the 
certificate  we  had  given  them,  testifying  to  their  care 
and  kind  treatment  of  us.  But  this  availed' nothing, 


206  THE    PRISONER   OF    WAR, 

as  the  contemptible  puppy  calling  himself  an  officer, 
shamefully  abused  her,  saying  that  it  was  a  bogus  thing 
they  had  got  up  themselves,  and  that  there  were  no 
such  officers  in  the  army.  These  facts  we  learned  from 
the  officers  of  the  battery  before  mentioned,  one  of 
whom,  the  day  following,  with  a  squad  of  men,  visited 
the  plantation.  When  the  circumstances  were  related 
to  him,  he  asked  to  see  the  paper  we  left  them ;  glancing 
over  it,  he  recognized  in  Captain  Aigan's  name  an  old 
friend,  and  felt  it  his  duty  to  render  all  the  assistance 
in  his  power  to  those  who  had  so  kindly  protected  him, 
and  communicated  the  facts  to  his  men,  who  immedi 
ately  made  up  a  considerable  amount  of  money  and 
donated  it  to  the  destitute  but  generous  family,  who, 
in  prosperity,  had  so  materially  aided  the  escape  of 
Union  prisoners  of  war  to  freedom  and  friends. 

On  the  eleventh  of  March,  Sherman's  whole  army 
entered  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,  having  been  on 
the  campaign  fifty-four  days  —  twenty -five  of  which 
we  had  marched  with  it.  We  were  rejoiced  to  learn 
that  communication  would  be  opened  from  here  with 
Wilmington,  and  we  would  consequently  have  an  op 
portunity  of  going  Northward.  The  next  day  Captain 
Ainsworth  reached  Fayetteville  from  Wilmington  on 
a  tug,  up  the  Cape  Fear  river,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles,  spite  of  the  reports  current  that  the  river  was 
filled  with  torpedoes,  and  blocked  up  by  trees,  and  by 
the  rebel  ram  Chickamauga  sunk  across  it,  and  that 
numerous  rebel  batteries  were  established  at  different 
points  on  the  river.  He  made  the  trip  up  with  entire 
safety,  without  losing  a  man,  although  continually  fired 
into  by  the  rebels  along  the  shore.  We  were  kindly 
furnished  transportation  on  this  craft,  and  the  after 
noon  of  the  day  following  we  bid  farewell  to  our  gen- 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  207 

erous  friends  of  the  Ninety-Second,  and  sailed  for  the 
city  of  Wilmington,  and  from  thence  proceeded  to 
"Washington — got  our  "greenbacks" — and  went  on 
our  several  ways,  rejoicing  that  gloomy  prison  walls  no 
longer  surrounded  us — that  we  were  free  to  breathe  the 

O 

fresh,  pure  air  of  heaven,  and  experience  once  more 
the  endearing  influence  of  home  and  friends,  beneath 
the  protecting  folds  of  the  "  starry  banner/'5 


CHAPTER  XV. 


"While  in  Charleston,  confined  in  the  work-house, 
there  one  day  filed  by  that  building  about  one  thous 
and  of  the  most  wretched,  pitiable,  and  abject  looking 
human  beings  that  in  any  land — Christian,  heathen  or 
pagan — ever  trod  the  Almighty's  footstool,  or  breathed 
the  air  of  heaven.  Black  as  most  of  the  slaves  on  any 
plantation  in  the  "  Confederacy, "  gaunt,  haggard  and 
thin  as  skeletons,  and  the  Kickapoo  Indian,  clad  in  his 
breach-clout,  leggings  and  mocasins,  is  magnificently 
and  comfortably  costumed  in  comparison  with  these 
poor  wretches.  In  surprise  and  horror  you  ask  who 
they  were  ?  United  States  soldiers,  whom  the  fortunes 
of  war  had  thrown  into  the  hands  of  a  people,  who, 
with  many  appeals  to  Christian  principles,  asked  the 
favor  of  Divine  Providence  on  the  cause  in  which  they 
were  engaged,  but  as  a  just  retribution  of  their  wicked 
deeds,  the  Almighty  cursed  them  instead.  These  poor 
victims  of  their  fiendish  treatment  were  fresh  from  the 
prison  hell  at  Andersonville,  Georgia.  We  had  pre 
viously  heard  much  of  the  horrors  of  that  detestable 
place,  but  never  before  had  we  beheld  any  of  the  un 
fortunates  whose  fate  it  was  to  be  there  confined,  and 
we  were  now  convinced  that  imagination  failed  to  pic 
ture  their  misery.  At  Wilmington  we  again  came  in 
contact  with  several  hundred  of  these  hapless  victims 

(208) 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  209 

of  rebel  barbarity.  The  testimony  of  these  men  rela 
tive  to  the  cruelties  practiced  on  them  by  rebel  officials 
is  too  horrible  for  civilized  people  to  contemplate,  and 
many  of  them  too,  when  giving  it,  were  in  the  last 
agonies  of  death.  It  is  true  the  class  of  prisoners  we 
met  here  were  the  worst  cases,  such  as  were  not  able 
for  removal  to  more  northern  hospitals ;  but  the  treat 
ment  of  all  was  the  same,  and  those  possessing  the 
greatest  powers  of  endurance  were  of  course  the  least 
afflicted. 

/While  in  Wilmington  I  visited  the^arious  hospitals 
in  which  our  men  who  had  been  prisoners  were  receiv? 
ing  medical  treatment.  One  of  the  surgeons  in  charge 
informed  me  that  there  were  nearly  three  hundred 
cases  under  treatment,  all  of  whom  would  lose  either 
one  or  both  feet,  in  consequence  of  cold,  exposure,  and 
scurvy.  Amputation  was  not  necessary,  as  they  had 
so  rotted  that  a  pair  of  scissors  was  only  required  to 
clip  the  sinews,  which  left  the  bone  sometimes  protrud 
ing  several  inches  beyond  the  putrid  and  decaying 
flesh.  * 

Concerning  the  general  condition  of  the  prisoners 
arriving  at  Wilmington,  Doctor  J.  C.  DALTON,  profes 
sor  of  Physiology  and  Microscopic  Anatomy,  in  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  made  the  following  report :  •  ^_ 

"The  better  cases  were  walking  about  the  streets, 
perhaps  barefooted,  or  with  no  other  clothing  than  a 
pair  of  white  cotton  drawers  and  an  old  blanket  or 
over-coat,  both  equally  ragged.  In  these,  the  slow, 
dragging  gait,  listless  manner  and  cavernous,  inexpres 
sive  look  of  the  face,  together  with  the  general  emacia 
tion,  formed  a  peculiar  aspect,  by  which  they  alone  at 
tracted  the  attention  of  the  passer-by,  and  by  which 
(14) 


210  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAK, 

they  were  at  once  distinguished  from  the  other  conva 
lescent  soldiers.  There  was  no  occasion  to  inquire  in 
Wilmington  which  were  our  returned  prisoners;  after 
half  a  day's  experience  any  one  could  distinguish  them 
at  a  glance.  Many  of  them,  who  had  strength  to  crawl 
about  in  this  manner,  were  prevented  from  doing  so  by 
he  want  of  cloth  ing?"""  Major  Randlete,  the  Provost 
Marshal  of  Wilmington,  told  me  that  on  one  day  forty 
of  these  men  came  into  our  lines  absolutely  as  naked  as 
they  were  born.  I  inquired  of  a  considerable  number  of 
them,  whom  I  saw  in  the  hospitals  confined  to  their 
beds,  naked,  or  with  only  a  shirt,  and  covered  with  a 
hospital  blanket,  what  had  become  of  their  clothing, 
and  was  told  that  they  had  thrown  away  what  remained 
as  soon  as  they  could  obtain  shelter,  because  it  was  so 
ragged,  filthy,  and  full  of  vermin.  One  of  them,  on 
being  told  that  the  Sanitary  Commission  had  sent  them 
flannel  shirts  and  drawers,  caught  at  the  words  with  a 
childish  eagerness,  and  repeated  the  good  news  to  his 
companions  with  a  faint,  half-imbecile  smile,  as  long  as 
I  was  within  hearing.  With  the  great  majority  of  the 
feebler  ones  personal  cleanliness  was  a  thing  which 
they  appeared  to  have  entirely  forgotten.  They  no 
longer  retained  sufficient  strength,  either  of  mind  or 
body,  to  appreciate  or  correct  the  degradation  to  which 
months  of  unavoidable  filthiness  had  reduced  them. 
In  the  most  extreme  cases  the  condition  of  the  mind, 
as  well  as  the  expression  of  the  face,  was  absolutely 
fatuous,  and  the  aspect  of  the  patient  was  not  that  of 
a  strong  man  reduced  by  illness,  but  that  of  an  idiotic 
pauper,  who  had  been  such  from  his  birth.  Never 
theless,  several  of  the  surgeons  informed  me  that  the 
condition  of  the  patients  had  visibly  improved  since 
their  reception,  and  that  I  could  not  then  form  an  ade- 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  211 

quate  idea  of  what  it  was  when  they  entered  our  lines. 
In  that  case  it  must  have  been  lamentable  beyond  de 
scription.  ;.. 

"^The  testimony  of  both  men  and  officers  was  uniform 
as  to  the  causes  of  their  unnatural  condition.  These 
causes  were,  first,  starvation,  and  second,  exposure. 
Only  such  officers  and  men  as  could  procure  money 
were  able  to  obtain  anything  like  sufficient  nourish 
ment.  Some  of  them  told  me  that  during  the  entire 
winter  they  had  received  absolutely  no  meat;  a  pint  of 
corn-meal,  often  with  the  cob  ground 'in,  sometimes 
with  and  sometimes  without  salt,  a  handful  of  "  cow- 
peas,"  and  sometimes  sorghum  molasses,  constituted, 
their  usual  ration.  '""When  in  hospital,  they  had  only 
very  thin  corn-meal  gruel  and  a  little  corn  bread.  To 
the  debility  occasioned  by  this  insufficient  food  was 
added  that  resulting  from  exposure. ^JTt  was  a  common 
thing  for  a  prisoner,  immediately  on  being  taken,  to  be 
stripped  of  his  clothing — shoes,  socks,  pantaloons, 
shirts  and  drawers — and  to  be  left  with  only  an  old 
worn  out  pair  of  drawers,  and  perhaps  an  equally  worn 
out  shirt  and  blanket  given  him  in  exchange.  This 
robbery  of  clothing  was  also  practiced  more  or  less  on 
officers.  Even  an  assistant  surgeon,  who  was  captured 
within  four  miles  of  Richmond,  told  me  that  he  was 
robbed  of  his  flannel  shirt  while  standing  in  front  of 
Libby  Prison,  and  in  presence  of  the  rebel  officer  in 
charge  of  the  squad.  This  was  immediately  after  his 
arrival  in  the  city,  and  when  he  had  been,  for  the  three 
days  succeeding  his  capture,  entirely  without  food. 
With  the  scanty  clothing  thus  left  them,  the  men  were 
kept  during  the  winter,  often  without  any  shelter,  ex 
cepting  such  as  they  could  contrive  to  provide  by  exca 
vating  a  sort  of  rifle-pit  in  the  ground,  and  covering  it 


212  THE    PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

with  old  blaukets  and  canvass,  as  their  supply  of  fuel 
was  insufficient,  and  sometimes  entirely  wanting. 
Even  in  the  hospitals  their  suffering  from  cold  was 
very  great. 

"One  of  the  most  melancholy  sights  in  Wilmington, 
was  that  to  be  seen  at  the  'Geer'  hospitals.  In  these 
hospitals  were  collected  all  those  patients  who  had  lost 
their  feet,  either  wholly  or  in  part,  by  freezing,  from 
their  exposure  during  the  past  winter,  and  this  in  a 
well-wooded  country.  In  some  of  them  two  or  three 
toes  only,  on  one  or  both  feet,  were  gangrened,  and  in 
process  of  sepraating  by  ulceration ;  in  others  both 
feet  had  entirely  separated,  and  the  patients  were 
awaiting  the  time  when  their  general  strength  and  the 
condition  of  the  stump  would  warrant  a  final  amputa 
tion.  In  many  cases  the  patients  ascribed  this  gan 
grene  directly  to  frost-bites  received  on  particular  oc 
casions  ;  in  others  to  their  illness  from  which  they  were 
suffering — generally  fever  combined  with  exposure. 
My  own  impression,  derived  from  the  result  of  many 
inquiries,  was,  that  it  was  generally  due  to  a  continu 
ous  depression  of  the  vital  energies  from  starvation 
and  neglect,  resulting  gradually  in  a  destruction  of  the 
life  of  those  parts  most  exposed  to  the  cold  and  the 
weather." 

The  only  wonder  is,  that  so  many  survived  the  bru 
talities  to  which  they  were  subjected  by  those  fiendish 
monsters,  General  John  H.  Winder,  Captain  Henry 
Wertz,  and  other  inhuman  and  merciless  rebel  officials, 
and  not  that  so  large  a  number  perished.  To  say  that 
the  Southern  people,  as  a  mass,  were  responsible  for 
these  outrages  on  humanity  and  Christian  civilization, 
would  be  an  unjust  aspersion,  for  there  were  among 


AND    HOW    TREATED.  213 

them  many  kind  and  sympathizing  hearts  who  would 
gladly  have  exerted  themselves  to  mitigate  as  far  as 
possible  the  sufferings  of  the  unfortunate  prisoners, 
had  they  been  allowed  that  privilege,  by  the  officials 
whom  Jeff.  Davis,  in  consideration  of  their  cruel  na 
tures,  appointed  ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
care  of  prisoners  of  war,  but  really  to  murder  them. 
Had  these  cruelties  been  the  result  of  accident  instead 
of  a  deliberate  purpose  to  totally  incapacitate  our  sol 
diers  for  future  service,  more  leniency  might  be  shown 
the  ex-President  of  the  rebel  States,  and  the  minions 
who  executed  his  hellish  designs.  But  in  Georgia, 
Alabama,  and  even  in  the  Carolinas,  our  troops  found 
everywhere  an  abundance  of  corn  and  bacon,  which 
could  well  have  been  shipped  to  Andersonville,  or  any 
other  point  where  our  men  were  confined,  as  the  capa 
city  of  the  roads  in  these  localities  for  transportation, 
was  not  over-taxed,  as  they  were  in  the  immediate  vi 
cinity  of  the  rebel  armies,  where,  if  our  men  had  been 
confined  there,  there  might  have  been  some  apology 
for  short  rations ;  and,  further,  it  was  always  in  their 
power  to  confine  their  prisoners  in  healthy  localities, 
and  provide  them  with  comfortable  quarters,  had  they 
been  so  disposed  to  do,  instead  of  sending  them  into 
the  miasmatic  swamps  of  Georgia,  and  then  herding 
thirty-five  thousand  on  an  area  of  less  than  thirty  acres. 

Colonel  OULD,  under  date  of  March  seventeenth,  1863, 
in  a  communication  to  his  master,  exulting  over  the 
complete  success  of  the  wicked  scheme  to  destroy 
Union  prisoners,  says : 

"  The  arrangements  I  have  made  (for  exchanging 
prisoners)  works  largely  in  our  favor.  We  get  rid  of 
a  set  of  miserable  wretches  and  receive  some  of  the 
best  material  I  ever  saw." 


214  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

A  portion  of  the  rebel  Congress  once  visited  Mr. 
DAVIS,  to  remonstrate  against  the  treatment  of  Union 
prisoners,  but  their  petition  was  refused  by  DAVIS  and 
his  cabinet,  on  the  ground  of  policy  merely.  A  rebel 
Lieutenant  connected  with  the  guard  at  Andersonville 
prison,  who  still  possessed  some  principles  of  hu 
manity,  once  remonstrated  with  General  "Winder  on 
the  general  barbarous  treatment  of  the  prisoners,  and 
suggested  a  plan  for  furnishing  them  with  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  sweet  and  healthy  water,  adding  that  hund 
reds  were  dying  solely  on  account  of  not  having  good 
water.  The  hoary  headed  old  traitor  flew  into  a  vio 
lent  passion  and  replied,  "  the  G — d  d — d  wretches 
are  not  dying  half  fast  enough." 

One  of  the  prisoners  confined  in  this  Golgotha,  in 
an  excellent  article  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  describes 
as  follows  the  appearance  and  condition  of  the  old 
prisoners  in  the  Andersonville  pen  when  he  entered 
that  hopeless  receptacle  of  Union  prisoners  : 

"  There  were  at  this  time  under  torture,  twenty- 
eight  thousand  prisoners, 

and  as  the  Southern  Confederacy,  a  Christian  associ 
ation,  and  conducting  itself  with  many  appeals  to 
Christian  principle,  believes  "  the  wind  is  tempered  to 
the  shorn  lamb,"  and  so  shears  the  Yankees  as  close  as 
possible.  These  men  had  been  formerly  fleeced  of 
such  worldly  gear  as  blankets,  money  and  clothing. 
Some  further  shearing  there  had  been  also,  but  irregu 
lar,  depending  chiefly  on  the  temper  of  the  captors, 
stripping  them  sometimes  to  shirt  and  drawers,  leaving 
them  occasionally  jacket  and  shoes;  so  now  most  were 
barefooted,  most  in  rags,  and  some  had  not  even  rags. 
They  had  lain  on  the  bare  earth,  sodden  with  damp  or 
calcined  into  dust,  and  borne  storm  and  heat  helplessly,- 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  215 

without  even  the  shelter  of  a  board,  until  they  were 
burned  and  wasted  to  the  likeness  of  haggard  ghosts. 
Most  had  forgotten  hope,  many  decency;  some  were 
dying,  and  crawled  over  the  ground  with  a  woful  per 
sistency  that  it  would  have  broken  your  heart  to  see. 
They  were  all  fasting,  for  the  day's  rations,  tossed  to 
them  the  afternoon  before,  had  been  devoured,  as  was 
the  custom,  at  a  single  meal,  and  proved  scant  at  that; 
and  they  crowded  wolfishly  about  the  wagons,  the 
most  miserable,  pitiable  mob  that  ever  had  mothers, 
wives  and  sisters  at  home  to  pray  for  them." 

The  rations  drawn — the  same  writer  goes  on  to  de 
scribe  their  quantity  and  quality  and  their  manner  of 
preparing  them  to  be  eaten.  He  says  : 

"  A  day's  rations,  remember,  were  eight  ounces  of  In 
dian  meal,  cob  and  kernel  ground  together,  (as  with  us 
for  pigs)  and  sour,  (a  common  occurrence)  and  two 
ounces  of  condemned  pork.  Salt  was  not  even  hinted 
at,  the  market  price  of  that  article  being  four  dollars  a 
pound  at  Andersonville.  Eight  ounces  of  meal,  made 
a  cake  six  inches  long,  five  broad,  and  half  an  inch 
thick."  That  is  to  say,  three  meals  were  comprised 
in  a  mass  six  inches  long,  five  broad,  and  half  an  inch 
thick ;  but  the  famished  prisoners  generally  preferred 
taking  the  three  meals  in  one,  and  even  then  their 
hungry  stomachs  were  not  satisfied;  yet  they  got  no 
more  until  the  same  hour  next  day.  Their  rations  de 
voured,  as  the  shades  of  night  approach,  the  prisoners 
go  to  bed,  which  he  says  was,  "  quite  an  elaborate  ar 
rangement  as  practiced  among  us,  what  with  taking 
off*  our  clothes,  and  possibly  washing  and  combing, 
and  pulling  up  of  sheets  and  coverlets,  and  fitting  of 
pillows  to  neck  and  shoulders;  but  nothing  can  be 


216 

more  simple  than  the  way  they  do  it  there.     You  just 
lie  down  wherever  you  are — and  sleep — if  you  can." 

Referring  to  the  general  debility  of  the  prisoners, 
and  the  horrible,  sickening,  and  offensive  condition  of 
the  camp  or  prison  pen,  he  speaks  as  follows: 

*  "  Stomach  and  body  weakened 
by  a  perpetual  hunger,  and,  in  many  cases,  utter  inabil 
ity  to  retain  food,  good  or  bad.  More  than  that,  the 
sluggish  water  course  that  served  as  their  reservoir 
crept  across  their  pen  foul  and  thick  with  the  debris  of 
the  rebel  camp  above,  and  in  the  center  filtered  through 
the  spongy  ground,  and  creamed  and  mantled  and 
spread  out  loathsomely  in  a  hateful  swamp ;  and  the 
fierce  sun,  beating  down  on  its  slimy  surface,  drew 
from  its  festering  pools  and  mounds  of  refuse,  a  vapor 
of  death,  and  the  prisoners  breathed  it;  and  the  reek 
of  unwashed  and  diseased  bodies,  crowding  close  on 
each  other,  and  the  sickening,  pestilential  odor  of  a 
huge  camp  without  sewerage  or  system  of  policing, 
made  the  air  a  horror,  and  the  prisoners  breathed  it." 

The  treatment  received  by  our  prisoners  at  the  hands 
of  southern  rebels,  although  presented  to  the  public, 
in  the  papers  of  the  day,  has  never  been  portrayed  in 
colors  sufficiently  vivid,  and  the  fiendish  natures  of 
those  men,  appointed  by  Jeff.  Davis,  to  kill  them  by 
inches,  to  torture  them  to  death,  never  have,  and  never 
can  be,  set  forth  in  words.  In  fact,  language  is  incap 
able  of  conveying  the  horrors  of  the  sufferings  of  Union 
soldiers  who  were  confined  on  Belle  Isle,  at  Anderson- 
ville,  Millen,  Florence  and  Saulsbury. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


EIGHT  MONTHS  IN   THE   PEN. 

Henry  M.  Roach,  private  of  Company  Gr,  Seventy- 
Eighth,  regiment  Ohio  volunteers,  was  captured  on  the 
Atlanta  campaign,  and  near  that  city ;  from  his  state 
ments  I  derive  some  interesting  particulars.  He  was 

marched  on  the day  of  September,  along 

with  other  prisoners,  to  the  pen  at  Andersonville — a 
huge,  roofless  inclosure,  made  of  squared  pines  set 
perpendicularly  and  close  together  in  the  ground.  As 
they  butted  up  against  it,  their  eyes  were  greeted  by 
sight  of  about  fifty  dead  bodies  deposited  in  rows  on 
either  side  of  the  gate,  which,  as  they  entered,  should 
have  wailed  forth,  "  Leave  all  hope  behind" 

For  two  months,  he  says,  they  never  tasted  bread, 
having  learned  by  experience  that  a  half  pint  of  In 
dian  meal  would  go  farther  towards  "  filling  up  "  when 
made  into  gruel  than  if  baked  in  the  ashes,  or  on  a 
chip  in  front  of  the  smoky,  pine  fire.  In  fact,  they  eat 
everything  issued  them,  either  raw,  or  boiled.  Beans, 
meal,  rice,  and  the  microscopic  bulk  of  rancid  bacon, 
were  all  boiled  together,  and  devoured  at  one  meal. 

(217) 


218  THE   PRISONER   OP   WAR, 

The  water  which  they  used  was  procured  from  a  small 
stagnant  stream  that  coursed  through  the  center  of 
the  camp,  and  served  the  double  purpose  of  furnishing 
water  for  cooking,  drinking,  and  washing,  and  as  a 
sewerage  for  the  filth  and  refuse  matter  accumulated 
on  the  ground  on  which  there  lived  thirty  thousand 
hopeless  men.  As  a  consequence,  all  suffered,  and 
many  sickened  and  died  from  the  daily  use  of  the  im 
pure  and  poisonous  liquid.  But  their  sufferings  from 
this  cause  were  at  length  alleviated,  by  (what  the  pris 
oners  believed)  a  merciful  intervention  of  Providence. 
From  one  of  the  most  elevated  portions  of  the  prison 
grounds,  and  which  had  always  been  perfectly  dry,  ex 
cepting  when  it  rained  very  heavily,  there  suddenly, 
and  without  any  previous  signs,  burst  forth  a  fountain, 
thick  as  a  man's  arm,  of  pure,  sweet  and  healthy  water, 
and  during  the  time  the  prisoners  remained  there,  it 
continued  to  flow,  without  any  abatement,  as  full  and 
strong  a  current  as  when  it  first  spouted  up  from  the 
bowels  of  the  earth. 

They  were  robbed  of  everything  that  could,  in  the 
smallest  degree,  contribute  to  the  health  or  comfort  of 
cither  man  or  beast,  neither  clothing,  blankets  or  shel 
ter  of  any  kind  was  allowed  them,  nor  scarcely  fuel 
sufficient  to  cook  their  starvation  ration  of  Indian 
meal,  (this,  too,  in  the  midst  of  a  country  abounding 
in  great  forests  of  huge  pine  timber)  to  say  nothing  of 
an  amount  necessary  to  preserve  the  warmth  of  life 
in  naked  human  beings,  exposed,  as  they  were,  day 
and  night,  to  the  inclemency  of  an  unfriendly  latitude 
in  mid  winter.  Through  the  day,  when  the  sun  would 
come  out  for  a  little  while,  and  lend  his  kindly  smiles 
to  the  encouragement  of  the  poor  prisoners,  they 
would  huddle  together,  and,  in  heaps,  on  the  ground, 


AND    HOW    TREATED.  219 

endeavor  to  sleep.  But  when  night,  with  its  chilly 
dews  and  poisonous  vapors,  enveloped  the  camp,  they 
might  have  been  seen  in  squads  of  fifteen  and  twenty, 
crouched  together  over  the  suffocating  smoke  of  a  few 
green  pine  faggots,  which,  occasionally,  by  dint  of  hard 
blowing,  sent  up  for  a  moment  a  cheerful  blaze.  Thus 
most  of  them  sat  and  watched,  and  cursed,  and  prayed 
night  after  night,  throughout  the  long,  dreaiy,  wretched 
winter.  Others,  however,  whom  cold  and  starvation 
had  not  reduced  so  greatly  in  strength  and  energy, 
would  keep  on  their  feet,  and  pace  up  and  down  the 
camp  all  night.  This,  also,  to  prevent  perishing  with 
the  cold  and  frost. 

TRADING  DEAD  MEN  FOR  WOOD. 

To  such  a  famishing,  freezing  condition  were  the 
poor,  miserable  wretches  at  Andersonville  brought  by 
the  constant,  systematic  cruelty  and  deprivation  to 
which  they  had  been  subjected  by  the  officials  having 
them  in  charge,  that  it  might  almost  literally  be  said 
that  they  resorted  to  the  plan  indicated  by  the  above 
heading,  to  procure  a  few  slender  sticks  of  fuel,  with 
which  to  cook  their  coarse,  unbolted  meal,  and  to  keep 
heat  in  their  bodies,  and  their  extremeties  from  abso 
lutely  freezing.  The  phrase,  "  Trading  dead  men  for 
wood,"  originated  in  this  way : — when  a  prisoner  died, 
two  or  three  of  his  comrades,  some  time  during  the 
next  twenty-four  hours  succeeding  the  event,  were  al 
lowed  to  carry  him  outside  of  the  stockade,  which  gave 
them  an  opportunity  of  picking  up  a  few  sticks  of  wood 
as  they  returned. 

It  is  impossible  to  realize  the  terrible  condition,  both 
of  body  and  mind,  that  human  beings — men,  naturally 


220 

of  noble  aud  generous  impulses — are  brought  to,  when 
they  absolutely  rejoice  at  such  occasions  as  the  above, 
for  the  opportunity  of  procuring  a  few  chips  or  splin 
ters  of  green  fuel. 

When  Sherman  started  on  the  march  southward  from 
Atlanta,  in  October,  1864,  most  of  the  prisoners  were 
removed  from  Andersonville  to  Savannah,  Millen,  and 
other  points,  which,  it  was  thought,  would  be  beyond 
the  reach  of  our  armies.  And  during  the  whole  time 
(three  days)  occupied  in  the  removal,  not  one  morsel 
of  food  was  furnished,  and  the  fourth  day  they  only 
received  three  small  crackers.  "  The  first  day  of  our 
fasting  («says  my  brother,  from  whom  I  derive  the  in 
formation),  we  were  hungry,  very  hungry ;  the  second 
day,  we  seemed  to  have  overcome  it  and  did  not  suffer 
so  much,  but  the  third  day,  even  the  most  hale  and 
stout  of  us  were  absolutely  so  weak  that  it  was  impos 
sible  to  maintain  an  erect  position  but  for  a  few  min 
utes  at  a  time." 

Human  nature  shudders  at  the  bare  recital  of  the 
atrocities  practiced  by  the  incarnate  fiends  in  charge 
of  the  southern  prisons  on  the  unfortunate  victims  who 
filled  them.  Hundreds  of  them  were  reduced  by  starv 
ation  and  brutal  treatment  to  such  a  degree  of  wretch 
edness,  that  they  deliberately  walked  up  to  the  "  dead 
line,"  that  the  guards  might  shoot  them,  and  thus  end 
their  misery.  "  Two  hundred  and  sixty-seven  of  these 
cases,"  writes  Miss  Clara  Barton,  from  Andersonville, 
whither  she  had  went  on  a  misson  of  love  and  philan- 
throphy,  "were  disintered  in  one  day  for  decent 
burial." 

Let  those  who  think  the  statements  that  have,  from 
time  to  time  appeared  in  the  public  prints,  are  the  sen 
sation  articles  of  hired  correspondents,  or  exaggerated 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  221 

testimony  of  our  returned  prisoners,  suffering  (as  they 
think)  imaginary  wrongs,  read  the  following  letter, 
written  by  a  Georgia  planter,  who  resided  in  the  vicin 
ity  of  Andersonville,  while  our  prisoners  were  confined 
there,  and  who,  consequently,  had  an  opportunity  of 
knowing  the  spirit  that  animated  the  officials  connected 
with  that  Golgotha,  and  the  condition  of  the  hapless 
victims  of  their  cruelty  : 

•  "E"EW  YORK,  Thursday,  August  3d. 
"  To  THE  EDITORS  OF  THE  EVENING  POST  : 

"  There  appears  to  be  a  disposition  on  the  part  of 
some  of  the  public  press  to  mitigate  the  offenses  and 
crimes  of  Major  Henry  Wertz,  late  the  responsible 
keeper  of  the  stockade  at  Andersonville,  Georgia,  and 
to  throw  upon  others  the  responsibilities  that  justly  at 
tach  to  those  alone  who  were  in  immediate  command 
of  that  prison.  Being  personally  acquainted  with  most 
of  the  officers  who  were  stationed  at  Andersonville,  and 
knowing  much  of  the  treatment  -of  those  who  were  so 
unfortunate  as  to  have  been  confined  in  that  pen  of 
horror,  I  have  thought  that  a  condensed  statement  of 
how  things  were  managed,  and  prisoners  of  war  treated 
there,  might  not  be  entirely  unacceptable  to  your  read 
ers. 

"  I  wish  to  be  understood  as  not  desirous  to  forestall 
the  action  or  opinion  of  the  commission  which  is  about 
to  investigate  this  matter,  or  to  add  anything  to  the 
feeling  entertained  toward  Major  'Wertz.  It  is  enough 
for  him  to  rest,  now  and  forever,  under  an  obloquy 
that  no  time  and  no  repentance  can  obliterate ;  to  feel 
within  himself  the  unenviable  pangs  which  the  recol 
lection  of  his  powerless  murdered  victims  will  ever 
arouse,  and  to  know  that  whatever  may  be  the  award 


222 

of  a  human  tribunal,  his  punishment  is  already  de 
creed. 

""""  The  prison  of  Andersonville  is  a  stockade  about 
eighteen  feet  high,  the  posts  comprising  it  being  sunk 
in  the  ground  five  feet ;  it  originally  comprised  an  area 
of  eighteen  acres,  but  was  subsequently  enlarged  to 
twenty-seven  acres.  The  inclosure  is  upon  the  side  of 
a  hill,  looking  toward  the  south,  at  the  foot  of  which 
is  a  small  brook  about  five  feet  wide  and  as  many 
inches  deep,  which  furnished  the  water  for  the  use  of 
the  prisoners.  "Within  this  inclosure  were  turned  the 
prisoners  as  they  arrived,  and  left  to  provide  for  them 
selves,  there  being  no  shelters,  or  arbors,  or  any  kind 
of  protection  afforded  by  trees  or  otherwise  against  the 
burning  rays  of  the  Southern  sun,  the  furious  storms 
or  the  freezing  winters. 

"  The  position  was  selected  by  Captain  Winder,  a 
son  of  General  John  H.  Winder,  who  was  sent  from 
Richmond  for  that  purpose  in  the  latter  part  of  1863. 
When  it  was  suggested  to  him  by  a  disinterested,  but 
humane  spectator,  of  his  operations,  that  it  would,  per 
haps,  be  better  to  leave  the  trees  standing  within  the 
proposed  stockade,  as  they  would  afford  shade  to  the 
prisoners,  he  replied  :  *  That  was  just  what  he  was  not 

going  to  do ;  he  was  going  to  make  a  pen  for  the 

Yankees,  where  they  could  rot  faster  than  they  could 
be  sent  there.' 

"  And  admirably  did  he  accomplish  his  mission. 

"  The  first  commandant  of  the  post  was  Colonel  Per 
sons,  who  was  soon  succeeded  by  John  H.  Winder,  with 
his  son  as  Adjutant,  his  nephew  as  Commissary  and 
Sutler,  and  Henry  Wertz  in  immediate  command  of 
the  prisoners.  There  were  generally  stationed  there, 
for  guard  duty,  from  three  to  six  regiments  ofinfantry, 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  223 

with  one  company  of  artillery,  having  a  battery  of  six 
pieces,  according  to  the  exigences  of  the  case,  the  num 
ber  of  prisoners  then  confined,  or  the  fears  entertained 
of  an  attempt  to  set  them  at  liberty  by  raiding  parties 
of  United  States  troops. 

"  When  prisoners  were  first  received,  it  was  usual  to 
subject  them  to  a  search  for  money,  valuables,  etc., 
which,  ostensibly  were  to  be  restored,  when  they  were 
released  from  captivity,  but  which,  in  reality,  went  into 
the  pockets  of  those  who  controlled  the  prison.  Not 
withstanding  a  law  of  the  Confederacy  expressly  pro 
hibiting  the  dealing  in  ' greenbacks/  yet  the  initiated, 
a  few  whose  'loyalty'  was  unquestioned,  could  always 
obtain,  for  a  consideration,  the  greenbacks  they  re 
quired. 

"  The  writer  of  this  was  the  foreman  of  the  last 
grand  jury  which  was  impanneled  for  Sumner  county, 
Georgia,  and,  in  the  performance  of  his  duties,  he  had 
to  investigate  a  large  number  of  presentments  for  deal 
ing  in  the  forbidden  currency,  which  was  brought 
against  poor  Union  men  in  every  instance.  Struck  by 
this  fact,  he  resolved  to  examine,  as  his  position  gave 
him  a  right  to  do,  into  all  the  circumstances :  where 
money  originally  came  from,  who  did  the  selling  of  it, 
indeed  the  whole  modus  operand^  and  he  elicited  the 
fact  above  stated,  how  the  money  was  obtained,  that 
the  Winders  and  Wertz  were  the  principals,  acting 
through  subordinates,  in  gathering  bushels  of  plums, 
in  the  way  of  premiums,  etc.  Meanwhile  the  prison 
ers  were  left  to  the  tender  mercies  of  their  jailor  and 
commissary  for  their  food,  which  might  have  been  im 
proved  in  quantity  at  least,  if  their  money  had  been 
left  in  their  own  possession. 

"  At  first  it  was  customary  to  send  a  wagon  into  the 


224  THE   PRISONER  OF  WAR, 

stockade  every  morning  at  ten  o'clock,  loaded  with 
the  rations  for  the  morning — bacon  and  corn  bread, 
nothing  else ;  but  as  the  number  of  prisoners  increased 
and  the  greed  of  gain  grew  upon  the  trio  above  men 
tioned,  the  corn  bread  was  reduced  in  its  quality,  be 
ing  then  manufactured  of  equal  proportions  of  ground 
field  peas  and  corn,  unbolted,  unsifted,  uncleansed,  in 
deed,  from  the  trash  which  peas  naturally  accumulate; 
and,  at  last,  when  the  number  of  prisoners  increased 
to  over  thirty-seven  thousand,  the  meat  rations  per 
week  were  reduced-to  a  piece  of  bacon,  for  each  man, 
about  three  inches  long  and  two  wide,  with  one  pone 
of  the  bread  above  described  per  day.  Then,  also,  the 
custom  of  carrying  the  prisoners'  food  into  the  stock 
ade  was  abolished.  They  drove  up  to  the  gates,  which 
were  slightly  opened,  and  the  scanty  food,  foul  and  un 
healthy  as  it  was,  was  thrown  inside  by  the  guard,  to 
be  scrambled  for  by  the  wretched  prisoners,  the  strong 
est  and  those  nearest  the  gate  getting  the  largest  share, 
the  weak  and  sickly  getting  none. 

"I  have  mentioned  the  small  brook  which  runs 
through  the  lower  part  of  the  stockade,  and  which 
supplied  the  water  for  drinking  and  washing.  This 
brook  has  its  rise  in  a  swamp  not  far  from  the  prison, 
and  at  no  time,  certainly  not  a  lengthened  period,  was 
the  water  suitable  or  healthy;  but  when  the  faeces  and 
filth,  the  drainage  of  the  whole  camp  of  prisoners,  came 
to  be  superadded  to  the  natural  unfitness  of  the  water 
for  drinking  or  cleansing  purposes,  my  readers  can 
judge  what  thirst  was  assuaged,  or  fever  cooled,  or 
throbbing  temples  washed,  by  this  floating  stream  of 
filth  and  disease !  At  any  time,  under  the  most  rigid 
hygienic  restrictions,  it  is  difficult  to  maintain  health 
and  cleanliness  among  a  large  body  of  men — what  do 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  225 

you  think  was  the  condition  of  thirty-seven  thousand 
half-naked,- half-starved  men,  without  any  police  regu 
lations,  under  no  moral  or  restraining  influences?  If 
the  remnant  who  were  finally  allowed  to  pass  out  of 
this  military  Golgotha  were  not  wild  beasts,  unwashed, 
befouled  devils,  no  thanks  are  to  be  -given  to  Henry 
Wertz  for  lack  of  effort  to  produce  such  a  consumma 
tion. 

"When  it  rained,  as  it  does  in  that  climate  almost 
continually  during  the  spring  and  fall  months,  the  soil 
within  the  inclosure  was  one  mass  of  loblolly,  soft  mud, 
at  least  fifteen  inches  in  depth,  through  which  stalked 
and  staggered  the  gaunt,  half-clad  -wretches  thus  con 
fined.  The  stench  from  the  prison  could  be  perceived  for 
two  miles,  and  farmers  living  in  the  neighborhood  began 
to  fear  for  the  health  of  their  families. 

"  As  a  consequence  of  this,  the  hospitals — facetious 
was  "Wertz  in  his  horrible  humanity — were  crowded  to 
repletion  with  the  emaciated,  starved  and  diseased  men 
who  were  trundled  into  them. 

"The  hospitals  were  constructed  of  logs,  unhewed, 
the  interstices  unfilled  and  open,  admitting  the  rain, 
without  floors,  cots,  bunks  or  blankets,  filthy  and  fetid 
with  the  festering,  putrid  bodies  of  the  sick,  the  dying 
and  the  dead.  Words  fail,  language  is  impotent  to  de 
scribe  one  of  these  dens  of  disease  and  death.  I  once 
mustered  the  courage,  impelled  by  the  earnest  entrea 
ties  of  a  Northern  friend,  to  enter  one  of  them,  to  visit 
one  who  was  tenderly  reared,  and  walked  in  the  bes* 
ranks  of  Connecticut  society.  I  believed  I  had  seen 
before  this  what  I  deemed  to  be  human  wretchedness 
in  its  worst  forms.  I  thought  that  I  could  nerve  my 
self  to  witness  mortal  agony  and  wretchedness,  and 
destitution,  as  I  had  heard  it  described,  without  blanch- 
(15) 


226  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

ing  or  trembling.  But  if  the  condensed  horrors  of  a 
hundred  '  black  holes '  had  been  brought  before  my 
mind  to  prepare  me  for  the  ordeal,  they  would  have 
failed  to  realize  the  facts  as  I  saw  them  face  to  face. 

"I  cannot,  in  a  daily  paper,  read  by  innocence  and 
virtue,  detail  what  met  my  sight  on  the  occasion  I  refer 
o.  I  will  not  pollute  any  page,  save  the  records  of  the 
courts  that  must  try  the  culprit  for  the  crime  of  torture 
by  disease  and  filth,  with  the  details  of  that  caravan 
sary  of  horrible,  intentional  slaughter.  For  fear  that 
some  may  think  I  have  exaggerated,  an  episode  here 
will,  perhaps,  dispel  such  illusion.  Convicted  by  the 
horrible  fact  that  was  a  stench  in  his  nostrils,  General 
"Winder,  then  Commissary  General  of  Prisons,  but  hav 
ing  his  headquarters  at  Andersonville,  was  forced  by 
decency,  not  humanity,  for  this  he  himself  asserted,  to 
ask  the  aid  of  the  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Methodist 
Church  of  that  circuit  to  adopt  some  means  to  allevi 
ate  the  miseries  and  soothe  the  wretchedness  of  the 
poor  inmates  of  that  Andersonville  hospital.  This  gen 
tleman  invoked  the  co-operation  of  the  women  of  Sum- 
ter  county,  who  responded  with  clothing  and  necessa 
ries  only,  for  these  alone  are  allowed,  to  the  amount  of 
four  wagon  loads.  Upon  the  day  appointed,  four  la 
dies,  accompanied  by  their  husbands,  went  to  the  prison 
and  sought  from  the  Provost  Marshal  a  pass,  to  take 
their  benefactions  to  the  sick  prisoners.  It  was  re 
fused  with  a  curse !  The  party  proceeded  to  Winder's 
headquarters,  where  Henry  Wertz  was  in  company 
with  the  General.  The  demand  for  a  pass  was  repeat 
ed.  Understand,  the  ladies  were  present,  and  the  rea 
sons  given  why  the  party  were  there,  in  accordance 
with  Winder's  special  request.  To  their  astonishment 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  227 

they  were  met  with  this  reply :  '  G — d  d — n  you,  have 
you  nil  turned  Yankees  here?' 

u<lSro,  General/  responded  the  spokesman  of  the 
party,  <I  am  not,  as  you  know,  nor  are  any  here  pres 
ent;  we  have  come,  as  you  requested  us,  through  Rev. 
Mr.  D.,  to  bring  necessary  articles  for  the  Federal  hos 
pital,  and  ask  a  pass  for  the  purpose  of  delivering  them.' 

"  'It's  a  d — d  lie !  I  never  gave  permission  for  any 
thing  of  the  kind  !  Be  off  with  you,  all  of  you  ! ' 

"  As  if  this  fearless  display  of  martial  valor  and  gen 
tlemanly  bearing  was  not  sufficient,  Henry  Wertz  es 
sayed  to  and  did  eclipse  his  General  in  profanity  and 
indecency;  and  I  here  assert  that  if  the  lowest  sinks 
of  the  most  abandoned  parts  of  your  city  were  gleaned, 
they  could  not  surpass  the  ribald  vulgarity  and  fin 
ished  profanity  of  this  jailor,  exhibited  in  the  presence 
of  refined  and  *  loyal'  ladies. 

"  Shocked,  terrified,  beaten  to  the  very  dust  with 
mortification,  the  party  retired,  and,  foiled  in  their  ef 
forts  to  succor  the  sick,  or  alleviate  the  tortures  of  the 
dying  Union  soldier,  they  gave  their  loads  of  clothing 
and  food  to  a  passing  column  of  Federal  soldiers  on 
their  way  to  another  place — Millen.  They  at  least  had 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  some  were  benefitted 
even  if  they  had  failed  in  their  efforts  for  those  who 
most  needed  their  assistance. 

"During  the  last  winter — which  was  unusually  cold 
for  Georgia,  when  the  ice  made  an  inch  thick — no  shel 
ter,  no  blankets  or  clothes,  no  wood  was  provided  for 
the  wretched  inmates  of  that  prison.  Squads  were 
permitted,  to  the  number  of  thirty,  to  go  out  under 
guard  daily  for  one  hour,  without  axes  or  any  cutting 
tool,  to  gather  the  refuse  and  rotten  wood  in  the  for 
ests;  and  if  they  outstaid  their  time  they  were  tried 


228  THE   PRISONER  OF  WAR, 

by  a  drumhead  court  martial,  charged  with  violating 
their  parole,  and,  if  found  guilty,  were  hung.  I,  my 
self,  saw  three  bodies  hanging  who  were  thus  executed. 
Poor  fellows,  I  thought,  God  has  taken  pity  upon  you 
and  given  you  deliverance  from  your  cruel  jailor. 
"When  you  and  I  meet,  at  another  judgment  seat,  woe 
to  him  if  his  authority  be  found  insufficient  for  the 
taking  of  your  lives,  wretched  though  they  be. 

My  house  was  the  resort — or  I  should  say  refuge — 
of  most  of  the  prisoners  who  made  their  escape  from 
the  stockade,  and  the  tales  of  starvation  and  distress 
which  they  told  would  have  melted  an  iron  heart.  I 
must  close  my  hurried  account  of  what  I  had  seen. 
It  is  far  from  full ;  not  one  half  has  been  told  ;  by  far 
the  most  has  been  kept  back  from  very  shame,  and  in 
respect  to  your  readers.  I  have  not  embellished.  The 
pictures  were  too  rough,  the  characters  too  forlorn  for 
the  flowers  of  rhetoric  to  bloom  in  their  presence. 
Broken  hearts,  crushed  spirits  and  manhood  trampled 
on,  may  answer  as  fitting  subjects  for  the  romancer's 
pen,  but  the  horrible  reality,  so  seldom  seen,  burns  ita 
images  upon  the  beholder's  soul,  that  no  other  impres 
sions  can  efface,  and  they  remain  life-pictures  indeed." 

But  facts  and  statements,  and  the  sworn  testimony 
of  returned  prisoners,  have  already  enough  been  ad 
duced  to  fasten  forever  the  scorn  of  the  civilized  world 
upon  the  inhuman  perpetrators  of  these  fiendish 
deeds.  And  so  long  as  they  go  unpunished,  the  wail 
of  ten  thousand  widowed  wives  and  orphaned  children 
will  shriek  along  the  western  prairies,  among  New 
England  hills,  upon  the  shores  of  the  lakes,  and  upon, 
the  sea  coast,  crying  aloud  for  vengeance. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


PERSONAL    SKETCHES. 

It  was  the  intention  to  drop  here  the  trail  of  the  his 
tory,  so  briefly  and  imperfectly  sketched,  of  the  most 
trying  vicissitudes  and  sufferings  that  any  soldiers  of 
the  Union  armies  experienced  during  the  gigantic  war 
to  crush  the  great  rebellion  of  the  Southern  slave  hold 
ers.  But  it  would  be  recreant  to  the  trust  of  friend 
ship,  and  callous  to  the  holy  inspirations  that  chord 
with  the  genius  of  old  associations,  did  I  omit  mention 
of  the  names  of  those  brave  and  gallant  comrades 
Major  B.  C.  G.  Heed,  Lieutenant  E.  K  Kead,  Major 
(now  Brevet  Brigadier  General)  Harry  White,  and 
other  noble  spirits  with  whom  I  was  associated  during 
the  long,  dark  period  of  our  imprisonment. 

MAJOR  HARRY  WHITE. 

One  of  the  most  popular  officers,  generous  friends, 
and  gallant  soldiers,  confined  with  me  in  the  Libby  and 
other  rebel  prisons,  was  Major  (now  Brevet  Brigadier 
General)  Harry  White.  He  was  captured  at  Win 
chester,  Virginia,  in  June,  1863,  his  regiment,  the  Six- 

(229) 


230  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

ty-Seventh  Pennsylvania,  of  which  he  was  then  in 
command,  being  left  there,  with  two  or  three  others, 
to  cover  the  evacuation  and  retreat  of  Major  General 
Milroy's  main  army,  when  compelled  to  abandon  that 
point  by  an  overwhelming  force  of  the  rebels  under 
Lieutenant  General  Ewell,  the  fifteenth  of  June,  1863. 

Major  White,  by  his  noble  qualities  of  head  and 
heart,  soon  endeared  himself  to  his  associates  in  prison. 
An  earnest,  eloquent,  and  fearless  speaker,  he  took  a 
prominent  part  in  all  efforts  of  the  prisoners  to  make 
our  suffering  condition  known  to  our  friends  in  the 
North — to  condemn  the  brutal  attrocities  of  the  rebel 
authorities — and  to  stigmatize  with  just  condemnation 
the  base  conduct  of  those  among  us,  who,  with  rebel 
hearts,  but  wearing  the  United  States  uniform  endeav 
ored  to  stifle  the  voice  of  our  reasonable  complaints, 
thereby  sanctioning  the  action  of  rebels,  and  mislead 
ing  our  government  and  friends  at  home. 

The  Major,  while  with  us  in  Libby,  was  also  ye  ed 
itor  of  the  "Libby  Chronicle,"  a  journal  devoted  to 
politics  and  religion,  and  chronicler  of  events  in  prison 
life.  It  was  written  on  foolscap,  and  read  weekly  to 
the  assembled  "  Libbyites." 

Efforts  were  made  during  the  fall  of  1863,  by  the 
Major's  friends  in  Pennsylvania,  to  have  him  released 
by  a  special  exchange,  and  as  he  was  at  that  time  a 
member  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Senate,  the  vote  of 
which  was  a  tie,  without  his  ballot,  which  would  be  cast 
with  the  Union  side,  our  commissioner  for  exchange 
of  prisoners  readily  assented,  and  proposed  to  Robert 
Quid,  rebel  commissioner,  to  exchange  for  Major  White 
any  Confederate  officer,  of  the  same  rank,  whom  our 
government  held  a  prisoner  of  war.  But  the  rebel  of 
ficials,  hoping  to  retard  and  confuse  the  organization 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  231 

of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature,  which,  with  White 
present,  was  Republican,  or  Union,  by  the  majority  of 
one,  would  not  consent  to  give  him  up,  thinking,  no 
doubt,  they  thereby  materially  aided  the  enemies  of  the 
Union  in  the  Keystone  State ;  who,  it  is  reasonable  to 
suppose,  were  thankful  for  the  favor. 

In  November  all  the  Surgeons  confined  in  Libby 
Prison,  some  of  whom  had  been  prisoners  for  many 
months,  were  exchanged  and  sent  North.  When  they 
were  called  out  of  the  prison,  Major  White  stepped 
into  their  ranks  and  passed  out  as  one  of  the  disciples 
of  Esculapius.  Not  either  the  officials  connected  with 
the  prison,  or  those  who  conducted  the  prisoners  to 
City  Point,  were  aware  that  a  Yankee  Major  was  in 
the  party.  The  fact,  however,  was  known  to  many  of 
the  prisoners,  and  one  whose  name  appears  in  another 
chapter  of  this  volume  in  no  enviable  light,  was  soon 
after  in  close  consultation  with  Major  Turner,  com 
mandant  of  the  prison,  and  nearly  all  the  prisoners 
were  of  the  opinion  that  he  communicated  the  inform 
ation  concerning  the  Major's  exit  from  the  prison,  to 
that  worthy,  who  telegraphed  the  fact  to  City  Point, 
and  he  was  accordingly  taken  back  to  Richmond. 

Soon  after  this  attempt  to  escape,  he  was  taken  from 
Libby  to  Salisbury,  and  for  some  time  kept  hand- 
ironed  and  in  solitary  confinement.  No  reason  was 
ever  assigned  for  this  outrageous  proceeding.  But  the 
natural  inference  of  those  who  had  daily  opportunities 
of  witnessing  the  malicious  conduct  of  rebel  officials, 
was  that  they  wished  to  torture  and  pile  indignities  on. 
him  on  account  of  his  prominent  Republican  proclivi 
ties. 

In  the  following  spring  he  was  taken  out  of  the 
prison  at  Salisbury,  and  started  en  route  for  Macon, 


232  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

where  most  of  the  Union  officers,  prisoners  of  war, 
were  then  confined.  He  escaped  from  the  guard  on 
the  route,  and  succeeded  in  getting  far  into  the  moun 
tains  of  western  North  Carolina,  where  he  was  tracked 
by  the  dogs,  and  finally  recaptured.  When,  a  few 
days  subsequent,  he  was  turned  in  the  stockade  with 
us  at  Macon,  many  of  his  former  friends  absolutely 
wept  on  beholding  his  torn  and  mangled  body.  Arms, 
legs  and  shoulders  bore  great  gashes — tooth-prints  of 
the  savage  dogs  with  which  their  more  savage  masters 
trailed  and  captured  him. 

From  this  time  until  exchanged,  in  the  following 
September,  he  was  kept  with,  and  on  the  same  footing 
as  the  other  prisoners,  on  whom  his  straight  forward, 
manly  character,  affable  disposition,  patience  and  en 
durance  under  all  circumstances,  exercised  a  cheerful 
and  genial  influence. 

DRISCOLL    AND    PAVEY. 

Among  the  many  noble  victims  of  rebel  persecution 
and  barbarity,  none  had  such  extensive  and  bitter  ex 
perience  of  that  refined  mode  of  torture — solitary  con 
finement  on  coarse  and  insufficient  food,  in  dank,  dark, 
under  ground  dungeons — as  Captain  E.  M.  Driscoll, 
Third  Ohio  Volunteers,  and  Lieutenant  C.  "W.  Pavey, 
Eightieth  regiment  Illinois  Infantry.  By  their  fear 
less  and  out  spoken  opinions  in  regard  to  the  "  Confed 
eracy,"  and  the  leaders  thereof,  they  each  rendered 
themselves  peculiarly  obnoxious  to  rebel  officials,  which 
resulted  in  their  being  taken  without  form  or  ceremony 
and  confined  in  damp,  narrow  cells,  and  informed  that 
they  were  to  be  executed  in  retaliation  for  the  death 
of  two  rebel  recruiting  officers,  executed  for  violation 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  233 

of  a  standing  order  issued  by  Major  General  Burnside, 
while  in  command  of  the  Department  of  the  Ohio. 

In  torture  and  agony,  both  of  body  and  mind,  these 
officers  were  confined  in  the  dark,  damp,  filthy  dungeon 
described  in  a  former  chapter  of  this  volume,  one  hun 
dred  and  forty-seven  days.  Nearly  every  day  they  were 
visited  by  Dick  Turner,  who,  with  curses  and  abusive 
epithets,  would  taunt  and  insult  them  in  the  most 
shameful  manner. 

Their  rations  most  of  the  time  consisted  exclusively 
of  about  one-half  pound  of  coarse  corn  bread  per  day 
for  each  of  them,  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  James 
river  water,  to  "  wash  it  down."  Nor  were  they  al 
lowed  the  privilege  of  communicating  with  their 
friends,  or  any  parties  outside  of  the  prison ;  and  their 
hopes  and  fears  were  alternately  excited  by  such  in 
formation  as  the  keepers  of  the  prison  choose  to  give 
them.  One  day  they  would  be  informed  that  the  author 
ities  had  fully  determined  on  their  execution,  and  they 
had  as  well  make  preparation  for  that  interesting  occa 
sion,  while,  perhaps,  the  very  next  day  they  would  be  in 
formed  by  the  same  authority  that  all  hostages  were  to 
be  released,  and  they  would  accordingly  be  exchanged 
immediately.  Thus  passed  their  time  through  all  these 
wretched,  dreary  days,  weeks,  and  months,  their  cruel 
tormentors  inspiring  them  with  hope  one  day  merely  for 
the  satisfaction  of  dashing  it  to  the  ground  the  next, 
leaving  them  more  depressed  in  spirits  and  physical 
energy  than  at  first.  « 

Imprisonment,  even  under  the  most  favorable  cir 
cumstances,  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  wholesome 
and  palatable  food,  pure  water,  comfortable  beds,  and 
light,  airy  rooms,  with  opportunities  for  exercising,  is, 
indeed,  a  most  wretched  state  of  existence;  but  im- 


234  THE   PRISONER   OP   WAR, 

agination  can  not  realize  the  sufferings  and  misery  of 
those,  who,  like  Captain  Driscoll  and  Lieutenant  Pavey, 
for  nearly  five  months  were  shut  out  from  the  pure  air 
of  heaven  and  the  sun's  cheerful  rays,  in  a  wretched, 
cave-like  dungeon  beneath  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and 
whose  slimy  walls  sent  forth  a  pestilential  odor,  from 
which  there  was  no  escape.  But  their  brave  hearts 
and  good  constitutions  survived  the  cowardly  attempt 
to  murder  them  by  inches,  and  they  lived  to  return  to 
their  friends  and  liberty,  though  with  wasted  frames 
and  health  permanently  impaired. 

SIGMOND    COUNT   VON   BRAIDAY. 

This  gentleman  was  many  months  a  prisoner,  and 
shared  with  us  the  hardships  and  deprivations  of  our 
confinement  at  Macon,  Charleston  and  Columbia,  and 
by  his  gentlemanly  conduct,  courteous  manners,  and 
soldierly  bearing,  endeared  himself  to  all.  He  is  the 
second  son  of  an  Austrian  nobleman,  and  is  himself  a 
native  of  the  city  of  Vienna.  But  when  our  great 
struggle  for  national  existence  commenced  he  sundered 
the  thousand  ties  that  bound  him  to  home,  friends  and 
his  native  land,  to  battle  with  us  in  the  cause  of  free 
dom  and  constitutional  liberty.  Arriving  on  our  shores 
he  made  known  his  intentions  to  the  War  Department, 
and  was  commissioned  First  Lieutenant  in  the  Second 
New  Jersey  cavalry,  in  which  organization  he  served 
honorably  and  bravely  until  captured,  early  on  General 
Grant's  famous  campaign  against  Richmond. 

While  a  prisoner  at  Columbia  he  received  intelli 
gence  that  his  elder  brother,  who  succeeded  to  the 
estate  and  title  of  his  father  (some  years  deceased)  had 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  235 

departed  this  life,  and  the  title  of  Count  and  the  own 
ership  of  the  estate  had  thereby  fell  to  him. 

As  all  communications  to  the  prisoners  were  exam 
ined  by  the  rebel  officials  in  charge,  the  letter  bringing 
the  above  intelligence  to  Lieutenant  Yon  Braiday,  also 
informed  the  commandant  of  the  prison  that  he  had  a 
"real  live  Count"  in  his  keeping,  and  that  worthy  im 
mediately  came  in  the  pen,  and  sought  an  interview 
with  the  Count,  and  expressed  himself  as  very  sorry 
that  he  had  not  been  before  informed  of  his  position 
and  standing  in  society,  and  also  insisted  that  he  should 
no  longer  remain  in  prison,  but  go  out  and  live  as  a 
guest  at  his  house  until  exchanged.  The  Count,  dis 
daining  the  proffered  hospitality  of  one  who  thought 
it  beneath  him  to  treat  civily  a  plain,  simple  soldier, 
although  a  man — the  image  of  the  Creator — and  pay 
such  obsequiousness  to  wealth  and  station,  replied, 
that  where  he  was,  he  knew  he  had  nearly  eleven  hun 
dred  friends,  while  if  he  went  outside  he  would  not  find 
one  whom  he  could  willingly  call  such,  and,  therefore, 
preferred  remaining  with  his  fellow  prisoners  and  share 
their  lot. 

Captain  L.  passing  by  the  Count,  on  one  occasion, 
when  he  was  industriously  engaged  cutting  and  split- 
ing  wood,  with  which  to  kindle  a  fire  to  boil  his  corn 
meal,  enquired  of  him  where  he  learned  the  art  of  chop 
ping?  He  replied,  "In  ze  prison,  to  be  sure — I  no 
mind  him  much — but  ze  washing,  Oh !  by  gar !  Why 
do  za  no  pay  ze  wash-woman  more  mone  ? "  The 
Count's  experience,  washing  his  dirty  shirt,  had  brought 
conviction  to  his  mind  that  that  portion  of  the  labor 
ing  population,  who  take  care  of  our  wrist  bands,  collars, 
and  "  dickeys  "  are  poorly  paid  for  their  services.  After 
my  escape,  and  while  in  the  city  of  Washington,  I  met 


236  THE   PRISONER  OF   WAR, 

the  Count  for  the  last  time,  he  was  then  making  pre 
parations  to  sail  for  Europe,  and  a  few  days  afterwards 
departed  for  his  native  land,  to  enjoy  his  rich  heritage 
of  titles,  honor,  and  wealth,  and  "  long  may  he  wave. " 

LIEUTENANT   E.   N.   REED. 

This  gallant  young  officer  yielded  up  his  life  endeav 
oring  to  escape  from  the  tortures  of  southern  prisons, 
in  which  his  courage  and  powers  of  endurance,  for 
seventeen  months,  had  struggled  with  death,  but  were 
at  last  baffled  by  that  scourge  of  mankind,  yellow 
fever. 

At  our  country's  first  call  for  troops  to  suppress  the 
great  rebellion  of  the  nineteenth  century,  he  volun 
teered  as  a  private  in  the  Third  regiment  Ohio  Volun 
teer  Infantry,  in  which  organization  he  was  known  as 
a  faithful  and  honorable  soldier,  and  was,  immediately 
after  the  battle  of  Perryville,  promoted  to  a  Lieuten 
ancy. 

He  was  with  his  regiment  on  Colonel  Streight's  ex 
pedition  in  the  spring  of  1863,  through  Northern  Ala 
bama  and  Georgia,  and  in  one  of  the  series  of  engage 
ments  of  that  command  with  General  Forrest's  cavalry, 
received  a  severe  wound  in  the  hip,  and  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy,  who  suffered  him  to  lay  several 
days  without  medical  aid  or  treatment  of  any  kind 
In  this  miserable  condition  he  was  thrown  into  a  wagon 
and  for  many  miles  was  hauled  over  a  rough,  moun 
tainous  country,  to  the  railroad  at  Huntsville,  Alabama, 
where,  with  many  other  prisoners,  he  was  packed  into 
a  dilapidated  old  stock  car,  and  started  en  route  for 
Richmond  and  incarcerated  in  the  Libby  with  the  other 
Federal  officers.  For  want  of  medical  attention  he 


AND   HOW  TREATED.  237 

suffered  here  for  several  months,  and  while  in  this  pain 
ful  condition,  for  a  mere  imaginary  breach  of  the  se 
vere  prison  regulations,  he  was  thrust  into  one  of  the 
everlasting  dungeons  in  the  basement  of  Libby,  where, 
with  no  bed  but  the  bare  floor,  and  without  a  morsel 
of  anything  to  eat,  he  was  kept  for  forty-eight  hours, 
his  wound  at  the  same  time  running  so  as  to  require 
frequent  washing  and  dressing.  Surviving  his  wound, 
ill  treatment  and  the  vicissitudes  of  prison  life,  he  was 
still  with  us  up  to  the  time  we  left  Charleston,  and  the 
morning  we  started  from  that  city  to  Columbia  he  es 
caped  from  the  guard  before  getting  aboard  the  train, 
and  sought  refuge  in  an  old,  uninhabited  building  in 
the  suburbs  of  the  town.  While  concealed  in  this 
place,  watching  an  opportunity  to  leave  the  city  and 
get  through  to  our  lines,  he  was  taken  with  a  severe 
attack  of  yellow  fever — which  was  then  raging  in 
Charleston.  It  soon  exhausted  his  enfeebled  system, 
and  alone,  with  neither  friend  or  foe  to  minister  to  his 
dying  wants,  his  spirit  departed  its  tenement  of  clay, 
and  winged  its  way  to  the  Creator  who  gave  it,  adding 
another  to  the  long  list  of  noble  victims,  that  now 
sleep  in  unknown  graves  beneath  the  Southern  sky, 
and  whose  spirits  should  haunt  to  the  brink  of  the  un 
quenchable  lake,  Jefferson  Davis  and  his  fiendish  co- 
laborers. 

FLINN  AND   SAWYER. 

On  the  sixth  of  July,  1863,  one  of  the  most  solemn 
and  deeply  interesting  ceremonies  transpired  in  Libby 
Prison  that  I  have  ever  witnessed.  All  of  the  Federal 
officers  of  the  rank  of  Captain,  (seventy-eight  in  num 
ber,)  held  as  prisoners  of  war  at  that  time  by  the  rebel 


238  THE   PRISONER   OP   WAR, 

authorities,  were  drawn  up  in  line  in  one  of  the  rooms 
on  the  lower  floor,  and  an  order  read  to  them  from 
General  Winder  to  Major  Turner,  in  which  the  latter 
officer  was  directed  to  select  two  Captains  of  the  United 
States  army,  from  among  the  number  he  held  in  con 
finement,  for  immediate  execution,  in  retaliation  for 
two  rebel  officers  hung  by  order  of  General  Burnside. 
This  information  produced  an  instant  change  on  the 
countenances  of  the  officers  whose  fate  it  so  much  con:- 
cerned.  When  first  called  into  line,  they  stepped  out 
with  exuberant  spirits,  and  pleasing  anticipations  of 
exchange,  home  and  freedom ;  but  now  hilarity  was 
cast  aside,  and  a  calm  stern  resolve  to  meet,  heroic  and 
manfully,  whatever  fate  might  befall  them  in  the  just 
cause  to  which  they  had  dedicated  their  stout  hearts 
and  strong  arms,  and,  if  need  be,  their  lives,  beamed 
from  the  face  of  each. 

The  picture  was  one  well  worthy  the  pencil  of  a  Ver- 
net.  On  a  small  table,  in  the  center  of  the  circle, 
formed  by  the  seventy-eight  gallant  officers,  on  which 
was  placed  a  box  which  contained  their  names,  written 
on  separate  slips  of  paper.  At  one  end  of  the  table, 
haughty  and  egotistical,  and  with  a  satisfied  air,  as  if 
the  occasion  was  one  productive  of  pleasure,  stood  Ma 
jor  Thomas  P.  Turner,  commandant  of  the  prison;  at 
the  other,  the  good  old  white-haired  Chaplain  of  the 
Ninth  Maryland  Infantry,  who  had  been  designated  by 
the  prisoners  to  draw  two  slips  of  paper  from  the  box, 
and  those  whose  names  were  written  thereon  were  to  be 
the  doomed  men.  Solemnly  and  breathlessly  one  is 
drawn,  and  each,  feeling  that  his  life  or  death  depended 
on  it,  anxiously  awaited  the  announcement.  It  is  Henry 
W.  Sawyer,  Capt.  of  the  First  JSTew  Jersey  Cavalry ;  all 
eyes  are  turned  towards  him,  and  a  slight  commotion 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  239 

ensues,  but  not  a  word  or  exclamation  is  heard.  Again 
the  old  Chaplain  thrusts  his  hand  in  the  box ;  all  is  si 
lent  as  death,  while  from  the  paper  drawn  he  reads  — 
Captain  John  Flinn,  of  the  Fifty-First  Indiana  Volun 
teer  Infantry.  The  ceremony  ended,  the  doomed  men 
were  conducted  to  General  Winder's  headquarters  for 
an  interview  with  that  officer.  He  most  shamefully 
cursed  and  abused  them,  and  notified  them  that  they 
would  be  executed  within  ten  days. 

After  the  old  gray-haired  traitor  had  exhausted  his 
vocabulary  of  abusive  epithets,  he  ordered  the  prison 
ers  back  to  the  Libby  to  be  placed  in  the  dungeon  in 
the  basement  of  that  institution,  there  to  be  kept  un 
til  the  day  of  their  execution. 

Soon  as  a  knowledge  of  the  circumstances  were 
known  to  our  Government,  Brigadier  General  W.  F. 
Lee,  of  the  rebel  army,  and  Captain  Winder,  son  of 
General  John  H.  Winder,  who  our  authorities  held  as 
prisoners  of  war,  were  placed  in  close  confinement  as 
hostages  for  the  safety  of  Flinn  and  Sawyer,  and  the 
rebel  authorities  notified  that  if  their  lives  were  de 
stroyed,  Lee  and  Winder  would  be  immediately  exe 
cuted  in  retaliation.  This  prompt  action  on  the  part 
of  our  Government  had  the  desired  effect — the  execu 
tion  of  Flinn  and  his  companion  in  misfortune  was  in 
definitely  deferred,  though  they  were,  for  a  long  time, 
kept  in  the  unhealthy  dungeon  before  spoken  of. 

They  were  finally  released  and  placed  on  the  same 
footing  as  the  other  prisoners,  and  in  March,  1864,  ex 
changed  for  the  same  officers  whom  our  authorities 
held  for  their  safety. 

The  conduct  and  bearing  of  these  officers  (especially 
that  of  Captain  Flinn,)  while  the  sentence  of  death 
hung  over  their  heads,  was  heroic,  calm  and  dignified. 


240  THE   PRISONER   OF   WAR, 

Th'ey  had  grappled  with  death  on  many  fields  of  bloody 
carnage,  and  in  their  country's  cause  they  could  meet 
him  with  firmness,  even  on  that  machine  of  infamy — 
the  gallows. 

At  the  time  they  were  confined  in  the  cell,  Captain 
Flinn's  health  was  very  poor,  yet  he  was  not  furnished 
with  anything  in  the  shape  of  bedding,  nor  with  food 
fit  even  for  a  well  man  to  eat,  and,  as  a  consequence, 
like  many  other  victims  of  my  acquaintance  who  were 
there  confined,  it  became  seriously  and  permanently 
impaired.  May  his  tormentors  receive  their  just  re 
ward! 

MAJOR  B.    C.    G.   REED. 

Among  the  many  young  and  gallant  spirits  who  have 
sealed  with  their  lives  their  devotion  to  our  Govern 
ment,  none,  perhaps,  are  more  worthy  of  our  remem 
brance  and  gratitude  than  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

He  was  among  the  number  of  those  gallant  hearts 
who  bared  their  breasts  to  resist  the  first  shock  of  the 
rebellion.  Enlisting  in  the  Third  regiment  of  Ohio 
Volunteers,  early  in  the  spring  of  1861,  he  served  with 
honor  and  distinction  in  the  Western  Virginia  cam 
paigns  during  the  first  year  of  the  war,  and  for  meritori 
ous  service  was  advanced  to  the  grade  of  Captain.  His 
regiment,  forming  a  part  of  Colonel  Streight's  mem 
orable  expedition  to  the  rear  of  Bragg' s  army,  in  the 
spring  of  1863,  it  was  his  misfortune,  along  with  the 
whole  command,  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  a 
prisoner  of  war.  His  restless  and  ardent  temperament 
could  ill  brook  the  close  confinement  to  which  he  had 
to  submit,  consequently  his  imaginative  and  fertile 
brain  was  constantly  inventing  schemes  for  escape,  but 


AND    HOW   TREATED.  241 

iron-grated  windows,  shackles,  hand-cuffs  and  rebel 
bayonets,  for  a  long  while  baffled  every  effort.  His 
first  attempt  was  with  Colonel  Strcight  from  Libby 
Prison  in  December,  1863,  which,  as  has  been  shown 
in  another  part  of  this  work,  was  nipped  in  the  bud  by 
the  treachery  of  the  guard,  who,  for  a  compensation, 
had  agreed  to  let  them  pass  out. 

Soon  after  being  released  from  the  cell,  where  he  was 
confined  with  Colonel  Streight  twenty-one  days,  on 
corn-bread  and  water,  as  a  punishment  for  the  at 
tempted  escape,  he  was  selected  and  sent  to  Salisbury, 
North  Carolina,  in  irons,  and  there  placed  in  close  con 
finement  as  a  hostage  for  the  safety  of  a  rebel  officer  in 
the  hands  of  the  United  States  authorities,  and  against 
whom  were  serious  charges  of  conduct  not  warranted 
by  the  rules  of  war. 

From  Salisbury,  Captain  Reed  made  several  efforts 
to  escape,  and,  on  two  occasions,  succeeded  in  getting 
to  within  a  few  miles  of  our  troops  in  East  Tennessee, 
but  was,  each  time,  hunted  down  with  blood-hounds, 
recaptured,  and  taken  back  to  prison.  The  sixth  and 
last  attempt,  and  which  proved  successful,  was  from 
the  railroad  train  at  Charleston,  when  we  first  arrived 
at  that  city  from  Macon,  and  was  as  follows : 

During  one  of  his  expeditions  from  Salisbury  peni 
tentiary,  he  procured  a  suit  of  rebel  gray,  and,  attired 
in  this,  he  slipped  from  the  car  in  which  he  had  been 
riding,  and  passing  along  the  line  of  guards  stationed 
around  the  train,  he  selected  one  he  thought  would  be 
a  good  subject  on  whom  to  practice  a  "Yankee  trick," 
and  endeavored  to  engage  him  in  conversation,  but  the 
guard,  supposing  him  from  his  dress,  to  be  a  resident  of 
the  city,  ordered  him  outside  the  lines,  with  the  remark 
that  neither  himself  nor  the  prisoners  were  allowed  to 
(16) 


242  THE    PRISONER   OF    WAR, 

converse  with  the  prisoners.  This  was  just  what  the  ad 
venturous  Captain  wanted,  and,  therefore,  did  not  wait 
for  the  order  to  be  repeated,  though,  to  keep  up  the 
delusion,  he  started  off  seemingly  reluctantly,  and  look 
ing  in  a  manner  that  the  guard  thought  meant  venge 
ance  on  him  for  so  rudely  ordering  him  away. 

Losing  himself  among  the  crowd  of  idle  curiosity- 
seekers  collected  around  the  depot,  to  see  the  Yankee 
officers,  he  wended  his  way  to  a  place  of  security, 
where  he  remained  concealed  until  a  dark  stormy  night 
gave  him  an  opportunity  of  passing  in  a  small  row- 
boat  down  the  Ashley  river  into  Charleston  harbor, 
and  by  the  rebel  picket-boats,  and  in  his  frail  craft 
finally  reached  Sullivan's  Island,  where  he  was  among 
friends  and  under  the  starry  folds  of  the  old  flag. 

Seldom  has  such  energy,  bravery  and  perseverance 
been  displayed  in  the  pursuit  of  any  one  object  as  by 
Captain  Heed  in  efforts  to  gain  his  liberty,  and  his 
comrades  were  all  rejoiced  when  fate  crowned  his 
bravery  and  energy  with  success. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  at  his  home  in  Zanes- 
ville,  Ohio,  he  was  honored  by  Governor  Brough  by 
an  appointment  to  the  Majority  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Seventy-Fourth  regiment  of  Ohio  Volunteer  In 
fantry,  in  which  organization  he  soon  endeared  himself 
to  both  officers  and  men  by  his  soldierly  qualities  and 
genial  disposition.  But  the  grim  monster,  Death,  ever 
envious  of  noble  victims,  had  already  marked  him  for 
his  own,  and,  on  the  seventh  of  December,  1864,  in  the 
battle  on  the  Wilkinson  turnpike,  near  Murfreesboro', 
Tennessee,  while  bravely  discharging  his  duties,  the 
gallant  Reed  fell  mortally  wounded,  and  soon  his  noble 
spirit  winged  its  way  to  the  realms  of  immortality  ! 
Thus  passed  from  earth  to  heaven  a  noble,  lofty  soul. 


AND   HOW   TREATED.  243 

Thus  our  country  lost  a  brave  defender,  parents  an  af 
fectionate  son,  and  brother-soldiers  a  gallant  comrade. 
In  commemoration  of  his  name  and  gallant  services, 
the  following  was  issued  by  Major  General  Thomas, 
in  whose  department  our  heroic  friend  was  serving 
when  he  received  his  death-wound : 

"  HEADQUARTERS,  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  CUMBERLAND, 

Nashville,  Tennessee,  June  19th,  1865. 
GENERAL  ORDER,  No.  43. 

In  accordance  with  the  time-honored  custom  in  the 
United  States  army,  and  as  an  appropriate  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  some  of  our  brave  comrades  whose  spir 
its  passed  away  amid  the  din  of  battle,  or  who  died 
from  wounds  received  in  action,  or  from  no  less  fatal 
disease  contracted  in  the  camp,  it  is  ordered  that  their 
names  be  given  to  the  defensive  works  of  Nashville, 
which  shall  stand,  for  long  years  to  come,  fit  monu 
ments  to  their  valor  and  devotion  to  their  country. 

*  *  *  #  #  #  * 

*  *  *  *  *  *  * 

VIII.  The  work  on  Charlotte  turnpike,  and  the 
battery  between  the  Charlotte  and  Harding  turnpikes, 
is  named  Battery  Reed,  in  honor  of  Major  B.  C.  G. 
E/eed,  One  Hundred  and  Seventy-Fourth  regiment  of 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle 
on  the  Wilkinson  turnpike,  near  Murfreesboro',  Ten 
nessee,  December  seventh,  1864." 

His  character  was  of  a  type  which  eminently  adapted 
him  to  the  profession  of  the  soldier.  He  wras  brave  and 
daring  even  to  rashness,  arid  his  virtues  were  many, 
while  his  faults  were  few.  His  genial  disposition  and 
urbane  deportment  rendered  his  conquest  of  the  afiec- 


244  THE   PRISONER   OP   WAR, 

tions  of  others  easy.  The  enthusiasm  and  earnestness 
of  his  noble  nature  enlisted  him  in  the  cause  in  which 
he  fell,  as  one  of  its  warmest  and  most  zealous  advo 
cates. 

"To  know  him  was  to  love  him,"  but  to  appreciate 
him,  an  association  of  mature  growth  was  necessary. 
Had  he  escaped  the  stern  decree  which  terminated  his 
hopes,  his  usefulness,  and  his  life,  Fame  would  have 
wrought  for  him  a  chaplet  of  her  choicest  flowers. 

Noble  Spirit,  gallant  soldier,  true  friend!  green  be 
thy  grave  and  memory  !  Fare  thee  well ! 


THE    ESTD. 


A.   F.  NOBLE, 


AUTHORIZED 


Goyernm't  Claim  Agent. 

V»~^  4 

No.  5  YOHN'S  BLOCK,  NOETH  MEEIDIAN  ST., 


J8S"For  several  years  past,  auditing  Clerk  of  Claims  of  Indiana  Soldiers,  in  the  office 
of  the  Second  Auditor  of  the  Treasury  Department,  Washington,  D.  0. 


Back  Pay  and  Bounty,  Pensions,  Commutation  of  Rations 
of  Prisoners  of  War,  &c..  Horses  Lost  in  Service,  and 
Claims  of  every  description  against  the  Government, 
cashed  or  collected  on  reasonable  terms,  Officers' 
Returns  made  out,  and  Certificates  of  Non-Indebt 
edness  obtained  from  the  Departments,  and  all 
papers  in  relation  to  Claims  promptly  and  cor 
rectly  executed.    Treasury  Certificates  and 
all  Collections  promptly  attended  to. 


BY 

LAZ.  NOBLE,  Clerk  of  Supreme  Court  of  Indiana. 
•Gen.  W.  H.  H.  TERRELL,  Adjutant  General  State  of  Indiana. 
HON.  J.  RISTINE,  Auditor  of  State. 

Major  DANIEL  McCLURE,  Chief  Paymaster  District  of  Indiana  and  Illinois. 
Major  M.  L.  BUNDY,  Paymaster,  U.  S.  A. 
Dr.  F.  S.  NEWCOMER. 
Messrs.  FLETCHER,  VAJEN  &  Co.,  Bankers. 
Messrs.  A.  <fe  J.  C.  S.  HARRISON,  Bankers. 
Messrs.  FLETCHER,  JR.  &  CHURCHMAN,  Bankers. 
Hon.  W.  H.  RANDALL,  London,  Ky. 
WM.  S.  HUNTINGTON,  Cashier  First  National  Bank,  Washington,  D.  C. 

245 


Rail  Eoad  City  Publishing  House. 


A.  D.  STREIGHT,  Proprietor. 


HEADQUARTERS  FOR  BOOK  AGENTS. 


In  every  County  in  the  Union  to  canvass  for  the  publications  of  this  popular  house. 
The  proprietor  has  been  engaged  for  many  years  in  the  publication  of  Subscription 
Books,  and  consequently  knows  just  what  class  of  books  agents  want,  and  this,  in  con 
nection  with  our  system  of  posting  and  instructions  to  our  agents,  is  the  reason  why 
they  have  such  universal  success,  where  agents  of  other  houses  signally  fail. 

Our  books  give  better  satisfaction  to  the  people  than  those  of  any  other  establish 
ment  in  the  country. 

They  are  handsomely  and  durably  bound.  And  as  we  devote  our  attention  exclusively 
to  the'publication  of  subscription  books,  we  are  able  to  give  agents  better  terms  than, 
other  publishers,  at  the  same  time  enable  them  to  furnish  our  books  to  the  public  as 
cheap  93  the  cheapest. 

Three  new  works  now  ready  for  agents,  namely: 

King's  American  Family  Physician, 

OR  DOMESTIC  GUIDE  TO  HEALTH. 

This  an  invaluable  work  on  Disease  and  the  Laws  of  Health,  designed  exclusively  for 
the  people  and  should  be  in  the  hands  of  every  family.  Agents  for  the  book  are  meet 
ing  with  unparalleled  success. 


The  following  are  some  of  the  numerous  notices  and  recommendations  this  work  has 
received  by  those  who  have  given  it  an  examination  : 

[From  the  Indianapolis  Journal.] 

*  *  *        As  to  its  origin,  it  comes  from  one  \vho  certainly  stands  at  the 

head  of  the  medical  profession  in  the  West.  John  King,  M.  D.,  and  Pro'fessor  of  Medi 
cine,  Cincinnati,  is  a  man  of  more  than  twe-nty  years'  experience,  in  the  healing  art, 
and  stands  pre-eminent  as  an  educator  in  the  same.  The  book  deserves  much  credit 
for  its  simplicity  of  style.  It  is  not  written  for  the  purpose  of  scientific  display,  but 
for  the.  good  of  th<>  people.  It  goes  further  toward  redeeming  those  practical  facts  con 
tained  in  medical  science  from  the  dead  masses  of  technical  lumber,  by  which  they 

248 


RAILROAD  CITY  PUBLISHING  HOUSE. 


have  heretofore  been  secluded  from  the  comprehension  of  those  who  have  the  best  right 
to  understand  them,  than  any  work  extant  which  it  has  been  our  privilege  to  review. 
Any  man  of  common  sense  may  *  *  *  fully  understand  it,  and,  by  still 
further  application  of  his  mother  wit,  may  successfully  treat  almost  all  forms  of  dis 
ease  peculiar  to  this  country,  and  thereby  save  much  of  his  hard  earnings.  •••  *  * 
We  cummend  it  to  the  people  generally. 


The  following  is  from  the  justly  celebrated  Dr.  Buruham,  proprietor  of  the  Chronic 
Disease  Infirmary  of  this  city : 

INDIANAPOLIS,  IND.,  Jan.  14th,  1861. 

A.  D.  STREIGHT,  ESQ. : — Dear  Sir:  Having  carefully  examined  a  work  of  your  pub 
lication  eniiiled  "New  American  Family  Physician,"  by  John  King,  M.  D.,  I  find  in 
point  of  style  that  it  is  concise,  couched  in  plain  language,  and  free  from  technicalities. 
Voluminous  in  variety  of  topics  discussed,  it  comprises  an  amount  of  practical  matter 
pertaining  to  the  preservation  of  health,  the  history  and  treatment  of  disease,  une- 
qualed  in  adaption  for  popular  use.  A  more  general  diffusion  of  knowledge  upon  the 
topics  therein  discussed,  will  serve  as  one  of  the  greatest  protections  against  the  intru 
sions  of  ignorant  pretenders,  who  propose  to  tamper  with  human  health  and  life,  and,  I 
trust,  will  be  cordially  hailed  by  '.very  intelligent  physician,  appreciating  the  fact  that 
the  stupid  credulity  of  ignorance  is  much  more  formidable  to  encounter  than  the  wisdom, 
of  an  enlightened  intelligence.  In  fine,  the  volume  is  worthy  of  the  well  earned  rep 
utation  of  its  author,  and  I  cheerfully  commend  it  as  highly  deserving  a  prominent 
place  in  the  library  of  every  family. 

Truly  yours, 

N.  G.  BURNHAM,  M.  D. 


[From  Prof.  A.  J.  Howe,  M.  D.] 

I  am  acquainted  with  all  the  works  on  Domestic  Medicine  of  any  account,  and  un 
hesitatingly  pronuounce  "  King's  American  Family  Physician"  the  best. 

A.  JACKSON  HOWE,  M.  D., 
Cincinnati,  0.,  18GO.  Professor  of  Surgery. 

"  INDIANA'S  ROLL  OF  HONOR" 

This  work  is  a  faithful  history  of  the  noble  deeds  of  Indiana's  heroic  soldiers  in  the 
great  rebellion.  It  contains  fine  steel  engravings  of  many  gallant  Indianans  who  with 
their  lives  sealed  their  devotion  to  their  country.  Also  biographical  sketches  arid  a 
history  of  each  regiment  and  artillery  organization  sent  from  Indiana  to  the  field. 
Every  family  in  the  State  who  feels  a  pride  in  the  glory  achieved  by  Indiana  soldiers  in 
the  war  for  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion,  should  have  this  book. 


OPINIONS  OP  THE  PRESS. 

INDIANA'S  ROLL  OF  HONOR.  We  can  not  better  describe  the  comprehensive  features 
and  value  of  this  history,  than  by  quoting  the  following  resolution  of  the  General 
Assembly  at  its  session  of  1862-3: 

Resolved,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  State  Librarian  to  carefully  collect  and  ar 
range,  in  the  manner  hereinafter  prescribed,  for  the  futire  preservation,  tor  the  use  of 
the  State ;  the  names  of  soldiery  (officers  and  men)  who  have  fallen  in  this  struggle,  or 
who  may  hereafter  fall,  whether  by  disease  or  by  the  violence  of  the  enemy ;  their 
names,  ages,  places  of  nativity  and  residence;  place  and  date  of  enlistment,  draft  or 
substitution  ;  regiment,  company,  commanding  officers  from  Colonel  to  Captain  inclu 
sive  ;  length  of  service,  the  battles,  skirmishes  or  any  other  cngagi-incut  with  the  ene 
my  in  which  they  may  have  participated,  or  any  other  incidents  connected  with  their 
history ;  and  it  officers,  the  office,  date  of  commission,  division,  brigade,  regiment  or 
company  commanded  by  them,  or  to  which  they  were  attached,  with  the  promotions, 
if  any,  and  the  causes  for  the  same,  and  any  and  all  other  matters  that  may  be  inter 
esting  and  useful  in  the  transmission  of  these  illustrious  names  to  the  posterity  of  the 
State.  That  the  whole  be  inscribed  in  a  clear  and  legible  hand,  in  such  forms  as  to  be 
convenient  for  printing  in  a  large  and  respectable  book  or  books,  emitled  "  Indiana's 
Roll  of  Honor,"  and  the  same  to  be  placed  in  the  Library  of  the  State. 

As  nearly  as  can  be  in  one  volume  this  has  been  done,  and  is  now  presented  to  the 
public.  The  author  has  succeeded  admirably  in  recording  the  history  of  the  various 

247 


RAILROAD  CITY  PUBLISHING  HOUSE. 


campaigns  of  the  war,  in  all  of  which  Indiana  troops  have  more  or  less  participated, 
and  in  presenting  these  histories  in  a  form  that  makes  them  valuable  as  histories  and 
at  the  same  time  as  interesting  as  romance. 

In  following  out  the  directions  of  the  General  Assembly  the  author  has  succeeded  in 
an  eminent  degree.  The  undertaking  was  arduous,  requiring  great  labor,  and  thought, 
and  study  ;  but  the  first  volume  shows  that  all  difficulties  will  be  overcome,  and  "  Indi 
ana's  Roll  of  Honor"  inscribed  in  characters  that  will  never  fade. — Indianapolis  Gazette. 

The  plan  of  the  work  is  simple,  but  complete.  It  takes  up  the  various  campaigns 
of  the  war,  in  which  Indiana  troops  have  been  engaged,  and  sketches  an  outline  of 
them,  that  the  reader  may  see  the  surroundings  of  the  picture,  and  then  paints  with  as 
much  particularity  as  possible,  and  often  very  vividly,  the  performances  of  our  regi 
ments,  following  their  general  narrative,  with  a  history  of  each  regiment  separately 
from  its  organization,  its  battles,  marches,  and  adventures,  and  following  this  again 
with  historical  sketches  of  the  officers  who  have  been  killed,  and  such  of  the  men  as 
were  distinguished  by  gallantry  or  good  service. 

The  history  of  the  three  months'  campaign  in  Western  Virginia,  and  of  the  Cheat 
Mountain  campaign,  we  should  cite  as  among  the  best  of  the  general  sketches.  There 
is  no  straining  af i  er  effect  in  them,  no  attempt  to  make  phrases  supply  the  place  of 
facts,  and  they  are  often  enlivened  with  descriptions  of  mountain  scenery  of  genuine 
beauty.  They  are  very  full,  too,  and,  so  far  as  we  can  judge,  very  accurate.  We  shall 
hardly  say  more  than  they  deserve  if  we  say  that  they  make  together  the  best  account 
of  the  early  war  in  Western  Virginia  that  has  yet  appeared  in  any  part  of  .the  country. 
The  summary  of  the  States'  services,  in  raising  and  equipping  troops,  providing  arms, 
caring  for  the  sick  and  wounded,  and  meeting  all  the  emergencies  of  the  war,  is  also 
admirably  done.  It  is  the  best  we  have  seen.  In  fact,  it  is  the  only  account  that  at 
tempts  to  exhibit  all  that  has  been  done  connectedly  and  clearly. 

The  regimental  histories  are  generally  much  more  complete  than  we  could  have  ex 
pected,  and  many  of  them  are  remarkably  well  written. 

So  far  as  it  has  progressed  the  •'  Roll  of  Honor  "  has  more  than  equaled  the  promises 
of  the  author,  and  given  us  such  a  history  as  an  Indianan  may  read  with  interest  and 
pride. — Indianapolis  Journal. 


INDIANA'S  ROLL  OF  HONOR.— When  this  work  first  made  its  appearance,  -we  gave  it 
only  a  passing  notice,  as  we  did  not  wish  to  give  an  unqualified  approval  before  we  had 
carefully  read  it.  Since  then  we  have  perused  it  with  care,  and  have  been  agreeably 
disappointed.  The  author,  instead  of  following  in  the  beaten  track,  and  pandering  to 
the  prejudices  of  the  public,  has  given  us  a  fair,  candid  and  impartial  narrative  of 
events,  leaving  his  readers  free  to  draw  their  own  conclusions.  The  plan  of  the  author 
is  different  from  the  histories  of  the  war  now  in  the  course  of  publication.  He  takes 
campaigns  and  follows  them  through,  giving  a  clear  and  distinct  view  to  his  readers, 
treating  of  events  transpiring  in  other  departments  only  so  far  as  they  relate  to  events 
passing  in  the  one  review.  Other  writers  on  the  war  seem  to  jump  from  battle  to  battle, 
and  from  siege  to  siege,  making  a  jumble  of  grand  events  that  leave  the  mind  clouded 
and  confused.  Most  decidedly,  in  our  opinion,  is  Mr.  Stevenson's  work  the  most  desi 
rable  to  those  who  wish  to  read  a  book  on  the  war  understandingly.  In  addition  to  the 
campaigns  sketched,  which  will  be  interesting  and  instructive  to  the  general  reader 
outside  of  the  State,  the  citizens  of  Indiana  will  find  the  regimental  histories  and  bio 
graphical  sketches  particularly  so. 

We  notice  that,  notwithstanding  the  enhanced  value  of  material,  the  paper,  press- 
work  and  binding  of  the  second  edition  is  quite  superior  to  that  of  the  first.  Several 
typographical  errors,  also,  which  evidently  .were  overlooked  by  the  proof-reader  in  the 
first,  have  been  corrected  in  the  second  edition. — Indianapolis  Sentinel,  March  29,  1864. 


An  agent  writes  "  send  books  faster,  I  am  selling  from  75  to  125  per  week."     This  is 
undoubtedly  the  book  for  agents  that  wish  to  operate  in  this  State. 


THE  PRISONER  OP  WAR. 

This  is  a  truthful  narrative  from  personal  experience  of  the  terrible  treatment  and 
horrible  suffering  of  Union  prisoners  in  the  South.  Every  body  buys  it.  The  best 
cheap  book  for  agents  yet  published. 

fi®"Scnd  for  a  circular  and  terms,  to  agents,  for  either  of  the  above. 
Address  : 


INDIANAPOLIS,  INDIANA 

248 


"  A  Policy  of  Life  Insurance  is  the  cheapest  and  safest  method  for  making  provision 
for  one's  family." — DR.  FUANKLIN. 

THE  WORTH-WESTERN     ' 

IDTDiL  LIFE  HUH  CO. 

THE  SAFEST  AND  BEST  COMPANY  FOR 

WESTERN  MEN  TO  INSURE  IN. 

This  Company  issued  during  its  Sixth  Fiscal  Year,  4,297  Policies, 

INSURING-,  $5,979,902.55. 

A  very  considerable  increase  over  last  year's  large  business. 

The  Assetts  of  the  Company  now  amount  to  near  Three-Quarters  of  a  Million 
Dollars,  having  more  than  doubled  the  past  year.  The  losses  paid  during  the  year, 
amounting  to  $55,050.65,  was  only  OSrlOO  of  one  per  cent,  insured  .at  the  beginning  of 
the  year,  and  comparing  with  average  American  experience,  as  reported  by  the  Massa 
chusetts  Commissioners,  is  98  to  124. 

LOSSES  PAID  PROMPTLY  ON  RECEIPT  OF  PROOFS. 

The  success  of  the  Company  has  been  almost  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  Life  In 
surance.  It  is  decidedly  popular  throughout  the  North-West. 

Prompt,  energetic  and  reliable  agents  wanted  in  every  town  in  Indiana,  to  whom  the 
highest  Salary  or  best  Commissions  will  be  paid. 

OFFICERS  OF  THE  COMPANY: 

A.  W.  KELLOGG,  Secretary.  S.  S.  DAGGETT,  President, 

J.  G.  McKINDLEY,  General  Agent. 

MARTIN  &  HOPKINS,  State  Agents  for  Indiana,  to  whom  all  communications  for 
Agencies  should  be  addressed. 
J8®=0fficefor  Indiana  State  agency,  No.  7  Temperance  Hall,  Indianapolis,  Indiana. 

TRAVELERS'  HSOUIffl  CO. 


OF   HARTFORD,  CONI¥. 


Capital  wholly  paid  up  and  Invested, 


$500,000. 


This  Company  insures  against  all  accidents,  whether  they  occur  in  traveling  by  rail 
road,  steamboat  or  stage  coach,  walking  in  the  street,  at  work  in  the  shop,  or  sitting 
by  the  domestic  fireside;  whether  riding,  boating,  hunting,  fishing,  shooting,  swim 
ming,  cricketing,  surveying,  engineering;  whether  working  or  playing,  sleeping  or 
waking,  in  danger  or  out  of  (apparent)  danger,  at  home  or  abroad  —  in  every  variety  of 
circumstances  in  which  mankind  are  ordinarily  placed. 

ORDINARY  RATES  OF  INSURANCE. 

A  policy  for  $10,000  and  $50  per  week  disability,  costs  ............................  $50 

A  policy  for  $5,000  and  $?.o  "  "  «'     ............................    25 

A  policy  for  $3,000  and  $15  "  "  "     ............................    15 

A  policy  for  $2,000  and  $10  "  "  "     ............................    10 

A  policy  for  $1,000  and  $5  "  "  "     ......  .....................      6 

fitJiTPolicies  written  by  the  Company's  Agent. 


NEAR   200  CLAIMS   FOR    COMPENSATION 

Have  been  paid  up  to  July  1st,  1865. 

RODNEY  DENNIS,  Secretary.  JAMES  G.  BATTERSON,  President, 

MARTIN  &  HOPKINS,  Special  Agents  for  Indiana. 
OFFICE,  No.  7  Temperance  Hall,  Indianapolis,  Indiana. 

249 


SPLENDID  INDUCEMENTS, 


NOW  IS  THE  TIME  TO  SUBSCRIBE. 


THE  WESTERN  RURAL, 

A  Weekly  Journal  for  the  Farm  and  Fireside. 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  VOtUME  T»IWt 

Enlargement  and  Improvement. 


THE  WESTERS  RURAL  has  been  received  with  emphatic  manifestations  of  approval  by 
both  Press  and  People,  and  lias  proved  one  of  the  greatest'  newspaper  successes  of  the 
day,  having  already  subscribers  at  nearly  every  post-office  in  the  Western  States,  num 
bering  delighted  readers  in  thousands  of  Western  homes,  and  showing  the  widely  felt 
need  of  a  first-class  Weekly  Farm  and  Family  Newspaper,  devoted  to  Western  interests 
and  all  topics  connected  wi:h  the  Farm,  the  Orchard  and  the  Garden,  the  breeding  and 
the  care  of  Horses,  Cattle,  etc.  ;  to  choice  Family  Reading,  Stories,  Domestic  Economy 
and  Cookery,  General  News,  the  Markets,  etc.  Its  "  CIIILUKEN'S  CORNER"  is  a  promi 
nent  feature. 

Concerning  the  Markets  niKl  the  Market  prospects,  it  aims  to  give  the  information, 
most  needed  by  every  Fanner. 

SUBSCRIPTION  tt.ilES— 32.50  per  year  ;  less  to  clubs. 


A  PREMIUM  ENGRAVING. 

To  stimulate  efforts  in  extending  our  list  of  subscribers,  we  are  offering  as  a  premium 
for  (.'luliH,  (and  in  connection  with  individual  subscriptions  at  low  rates,  (the  splendid 
Steel  Engraving, 

"M031E  nio^j:  THE 


A  most  elegant  Parlor  ornament.     The  work   illustrates  the  return  and  restoration  to 
Ills  mother,  wife  and   family,  of  a  Union  Soldier,  and   is   a  picture  that  can  be  looked 
upon  again  and  again  with    new   interest.     It  occupied  18  months'  labor  of  the  artist, 
JlcRae!     Every  loyal  family  should  have  it.     They  are  sold  by  traveling  agents  at  $2.50 
to  £:;.<H>  cadi,  but  having  made  a  favorable  contract  for  them  by  the  quantity,  we  de 
sire   to  give  our  patrons  the  benefit  of  it,  and  offer  it  on  the  following  terms.     It  is, 
without  exception,  the  most  appropriate  memorial  of  the  war  that  can  be  procured: 
Cm-  subscription  one  year,  and  one  Engraving  ..................................  $4  CO 

Fciir  subscriptions  one  year,  and   Engraving  to  Agent  ..........................     8  00 

Eight  subscript  inns  for  six  months,  and  engraving  to  Agent  .....................     8  00 

Club  papers   addressed  to  names  of  subscribers,  and  sent  to  different  Post-offices. 
Specimen  copies  sent  fife.     Engravings  carefully  packed,  and  postage  prepaid. 
Address  : 

H.  N.  F.  LEWIS, 

Publisher  Western  Rural,  Detroit,  Michigan, 
Or    A..   D.    STriEIOHrr, 

General  Agent  for  Jtudiarid,  Indianapolis,  Indiana. 

250 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall 


1  —  .- 


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General  Library 

University  of  California 

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